The Rhode Island DEM has declared today an ‘Air Quality Alert Day’. According to Channel 10 you can ride for free on all RIPTA routes (except ’special’ routes — pretty sure that means the beaches).

[Thank you commenter. The RIDOT web site confirms that Route 95 in both directions is now open.]

Okay, the weather is going to help out a little here and Warwick officials are reporting that 80% of sewer service has been restored. The Governor just gave a news conference (Thursday noon) stating that maybe, just maybe, Route 95 can be brought back online before this evening’s rush hour. This might be a good time to mention how useful local news gathering outlets are in times like this. Today’s Providence Journal had great coverage by Tom Mooney et al., with fantastic photos by Sandor Bodo and Mary Murphy. I checked in with Channel 10 and ABC6 quite a bit over the last couple of days and they were getting the job done as well with camera crews and reporters out and about. Bloggers just won’t do that.

However, for those lucky enough not to be losing homes and businesses, rushing rivers can make pretty compelling viewing. One of the best places to stare at water may be the Slater Mill from Main Street in Pawtucket. Words can’t describe the volume and speed of the river crashing through the bridge here. It’s just mesmerizing. More pix after jump.

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Gordon Fox’s office just sent along this comprehensive list of contact info for the weary and wet:

Flood Recovery Information for Homes and Businesses

• Information on Federal Aid Programs for RI Disaster Recovery for individuals and businesses.
• Frequently Asked Questions and “Best Practices” for homeowners and businesses in the aftermath of flooding.
• Most up-to-date DOT map of road closures in Rhode Island.
• Volunteers, Donations, Red Cross Shelters
• How to volunteer or Donate to RI Red Cross 831-7700
• Emergency Shelters

General Information:

Dial 211 (the system has been activated for this emergency)

Local Emergency Agency Contacts, For Safety & Home Flooding Issues:

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This is more or less what Cranston looks like. The Governor was just on television warning of the situation in and near the Pawtuxet River and hoping that people in the affected areas will head home now rather than later. There are early school closings, RIPTA detours, the National Guard has been activated, and the Cranston DPW has closed at least a dozen roadways. Most alarming is the report that the Warwick sewage treatment plant is vulnerable and getting sandbagged. Both the Blackstone and Pawtuxet Rivers will crest late tonight and early morning. Some areas may get 7″ of rain before this is over. The Channel 10 website has closings and updates, and pictures from around the state. Also ProJo.

[Update 6pm: Warwick sewage treatment plant is underwater and not functioning — hold off on the flushing if at all possible. Airport connectors from Rte 95 are now closed, you can approach from Route 1/Post Road. (Check RIDOT for road closures.) In other words, areas outside of Providence are really getting clobbered, plan accordingly. Cranston and the Pawtuxet River led the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams so you can expect to hear from your out-of-town relatives.]

If you’ve been fortunate enough to stay on the high ground, as I have, this’ll be a rude awakening.  Check out this footage of Matt Jerzyk’s back yard.

Jef’s posted some video shot during the middle of the storm.  Striking in its serenity:

The lack of excitement might disappoint the PDD family — what with the sense that we came of age during our crack coverage of Plowgate 2007 — but having walked/driven/ridden/sledded much of the city since the blizzard of ‘09 hit, I’m generally very impressed with the response.

With a little help from my friend.

Jef’s been slipping and sliding and snow-blogging like crazy.

A DC cop pulls a gun on snowball fight:

Today it’s supposed to hit 90 for the first time in 385 days–that’s over a year, people!!–and there’s a heat advisory in effect for Providence County from 2-6 this afternoon. To celebrate, here’s my favorite heat-themed disco song.  Actually, it might even be my favorite disco song.  Or maybe just my favorite song.  (Is there a song that’s better than this song?  I can’t think of one.)

I was eyeing rainboots at Berk’s and Spectrum-India the other night, but then I thought, would I really wear these, even if they have little skulls and crossbones on them?, and walked away.  What a dummy.  Now, with this crappy weather streak, I’m soaked from toes to bum for walking a measly 3 blocks downtown earlier this morning, and even borrowing a hairdryer from a (strangely prepared) co-worker hasn’t alleviated my misery.  Another colleague is trapped in flooded Warren and is snapping cell phone photos of cars and homes flooded up to their doors.  Bottom line: if you must be out and about today, a full-body poncho wouldn’t be a bad idea.  Or maybe an ark.

Another rain delay for the First Light party originally scheduled for tonight, Wednesday, at the Margaret M. Jacoby Observatory on the Knight Campus of CCRI. They will try again on June 17th.  Meanwhile Triangle Forest (with frontman and observatory director Professor Britton) are scheduled to play the Providence Art Festival this coming Saturday the 13th . . . weather permitting I suppose. Jeez Louise this rain thing is getting old. Click here to see what the night sky would look like this week if we could maybe actually ever see it. (More on TF in the latest Phoenix in a piece about the electronic music scene.)

… to survive a hurricane in downtown Providence. Or just walk up the damn hill. Today kicks off the 2009 hurricane season. The names this year are as follows: Ana, Bill, Claudette, Danny, Erika, Fred, Grace, Henri, Ida, Joaquin, Kate, Larry, Mindy, Nicholas, Odette, Peter, Rose, Sam, Teresa, Victor, Wanda.

Don’t forget the first rule of emergency preparedness — when in danger, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout.

Well, we taunted Old Man Winter with our “I Hate Winter” sangria party last week and look where it got us. There’s a whole goddamn foot of snow out there and no one’s at work or school including myself who couldn’t get to work at the school. I am so glad I borrowed the Twin Peaks box set yesterday, now if I can only make it to the liquor store. Anyways, be careful if you’re going out in this shit, leave work early if you can, and if you’re home stay nice and warm.

At a meeting in the Roosevelt Room with business leaders to discuss the economy, President Obama asked to make an unrelated comment — on the weather.

Asked if he was calling Washingtonians wimps, Obama responded: “I’m saying that when it comes to the weather, folks in Washington don’t seem to be able to handle things.”

“My children’s school was canceled today, because of what? Some ice,” Obama said, and all at the table started laughing.

“As my children pointed out, in Chicago school is never canceled,” he continued. He said that in their old hometown, “you’d go outside for recess in weather like this. You wouldn’t even stay indoors.”

The President said he would have to bring “some flinty Chicago toughness” to Washington.

No school in Cranston today.  Or Warwick.  Or North Providence or Lincoln or Providence.  And there’s not even any snow for the kids to be playing in.  Peter Nero, who is now Cranston’s Assistant Superintendant of Schools but who went by Vice Principal Nero back when I was a lad, told the ProJo that the two to four inch forecast and cold temperatures were enough to make everyone “a little paranoid.”  And the paranoia may continue!

Nero said no decision had been made about holding school tomorrow.

“We’ll get criticized either way,” he said.

Apparently this is something everybody knows already, but I didn’t realize it until my fourteen-year old cousin changed her Facebook status to say that she was bored, which normally she doesn’t do until later in the afternoon.

Unrelatedly, if you happen to brave the non-blizzard today and see any frozen Daily Dose writers around, could you please thaw them out and sit them down in front of a computer?  I’m lonely!