Last weekend's blizzard - which led to the first state of emergency in Rhode Island since 1978 - shut down large portions of Providence through Sunday and Monday morning, interrupting municipal services and forcing many businesses to close.
Governor Donald Carcieri '65 declared a state of emergency Sunday morning in response to nearly two feet of overnight snowfall, while city officials took measures to expedite cleanup efforts and encouraged residents to stay indoors for much of the day.
Mayor David Cicilline '83 issued a parking ban for all business and commercial districts that remained in effect until midnight Sunday. The purpose of the ban was to help crews from the Department of Public Works quickly navigate the city's streets and plow roadways, said Major Paul Fitzgerald of the Providence Police Department.
The blizzard produced "near whiteout conditions," according to John Nickelson, director of the Providence Department of Public Works. The city received about three or four inches of snow every hour for much of Sunday, he said.
By Sunday evening, city workers had managed to clear snow from much of downtown Providence, Cicilline said in a statement. The Department of Public Works used 75 plows and sanders in the cleanup effort, though their work was far from completed by evening's end.
"The snow is falling so quickly and the wind gusts are so strong, it's a challenge for crews to keep the roadways clear," Cicilline said. As a result of the inclement weather, Cicilline ordered the closure on Monday of Providence schools, central administration and municipal buildings.
All but a handful of Thayer Street businesses were closed Sunday, but those that remained open reported receiving a high number of customers.
Chris Fortin, general manager at Tealuxe, said he was surprised by the turnout.
"I thought it would be really slow and I would get paid for basically doing nothing. I was wrong," he said Sunday. "We've been really busy since about 11."
Fortin, who walked "about a mile" from his house to get to Tealuxe, said only two employees managed to make their scheduled shifts. Employees who typically drive to the cafe were unable to work because of the parking ban, he said.
"A friend of mine who isn't even employed by the store helped to serve customers for two hours because we were so slammed," he said.
Fortin said Tealuxe would remain open only until around 6 or 7, well before the usual 10 p.m. closing time.
Joe Maraia, general manager at Store 24, said Sunday he planned to keep the store open until its usual 2 a.m. closing time.
"We've been super busy," he said.
Maraia said he had little trouble driving approximately 25 miles from Burrillville to get to work.
A confused Swathi Bojedla '07, who was supposed to be meeting friends at Bagel Gourmet on Brook Street, walked from her room in Caswell Hall to Bagel Gourmet Ole on Thayer Street, only to find it closed.
"I had to eat at Antonio's, and I had just walked past there," she said. "It was very upsetting."
For much of Sunday, Thayer Street saw very little vehicle traffic. Some pedestrians opted to walk down the middle of recently plowed streets and avoid the snow-covered sidewalks.
The blizzard kept Providence Police Department officers busy for much of the day, Fitzgerald said.
Residents obeyed the parking ban "for the most part," Nickelson said.
But enforcing the parking ban proved to be a demanding task, Fitzgerald said, as officers towed over 370 cars by early Sunday afternoon. The towing was necessary so snowplows could access the roads, he said.
"The main roads are good and the side roads are being worked on. People are starting to come out a bit now," Fitzgerald said. "But we're still asking people to stay inside."
Fitzgerald said the blizzard made it difficult for officers to effectively move around the city and respond to calls.
"(Officers) have to use their common sense," he said. "They're walking to a lot of the calls."
Fitzgerald added the department had received few calls that were not related to the blizzard.
"The radio's pretty quiet," he said.
The Department of Public Works managed to clear all roads for travel by Monday morning, Nickelson said.
"Right now, I'm encouraging people to get out and enjoy the sunshine," he said Monday afternoon.
The Rhode Island Public Transportation Authority canceled its "fixed route" service Monday. An automated voice greeting said the cancellation was "due to the Governor's state of emergency."
The after-hours media information line for Narragansett Electric Company, which services many power lines in Providence, reported 560 customers without electricity Sunday morning, though these were located primarily in Cranston. By 9 p.m. Sunday evening, the company managed to service all but two outages.
Carcieri lifted the state of emergency Monday evening, saying in a press conference he expected the state would "be back at 100 percent" by Tuesday morning, according to the Providence Journal.
