CHARLESTOWN, R.I. (AP) — The latest developments on Tropical Storm Henri and its impacts on the Northeast:
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CHARLESTOWN, R.I. (AP) — The latest developments on Tropical Storm Henri and its impacts on the Northeast: 6:15 p.m. The vast majority of customers who lost power in hard hit Rhode Island should be restored by mid-week, utility company National Grid said late Sunday. The company said about 72,600 customers in Rhode Island and 8,500 in Massachusetts were still without power as of 5 p.m. More than 31,400 customers in Rhode Island and 20,700 Massachusetts have already had power restored since the storm’s impact began Sunday morning. National Grid said the power outages are most prevalent in coastal Rhode Island, including South Kingstown, Narragansett, Westerly, Jamestown, Charlestown and North Kingstown. Meanwhile, mandatory evacuations in some Connecticut shoreline communities were being lifted, hours after the worst of Tropical Henri passed through the state. ___ 6 p.m. The National Weather Service recorded what could be the wettest hour ever in Central Park, with 1.94 inches (4.93 centimeters) of torrential rainfall pelting the park between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. Saturday. In fact, the weekend was the wettest two-day period since Tropical Storm Irene swept through a decade ago, said Dominic Ramunni, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Upton, New York. “I call it the wettest hour in New York City, New York, for the record books,” Ramunni said. “We’re going to see additional rainfall through tonight as well so who knows what records may be broken here over the next 24 to 36 hours.” Saturday’s downpour canceled a star-studded Homecoming concert in Central Park, when 4.5 inches (11.4 centimeters) of rain fell. The rainfall broke a record for the date that had endured since 1888. Sunday was also another record breaker, with at least 2.24 inches (5.69 centimeters) having already fallen in the heart of New York city. The previous record for the day was 1.85 inches (4.7 centimeters), set in 1994. ___ 4:45 p.m. Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee says the state is already moving into the recovery and assessment phase after Tropical Storm Henri, with the top priority being restore power to tens of thousands of residents and businesses. The Democratic governor says National Grid already has crews out working on restoring electricity, and the goal is to get everyone back online by Tuesday. “We are expecting temperatures in the 90s beginning Tuesday… and that is why getting power restored is critical for the health and safety of our residents, our economy, and our small businesses,” he said at state emergency management headquarters in Cranston. Terence Sobolewski, the president of National Grid Rhode Island, said it is expected to take a couple of days to get power fully restored. The state has also started the process of assessing damage to get maximum reimbursement from the federal government, McKee said.
