He was accompanied by RIEMA Director General Kevin McBride, State Police Superintendent/Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety Col. Stephen O'Donnell, members of the R.I. Congressional Delegation and state police and Department of Transportation Director Michael Lewis.
All of the officials said that while power outages are likely, they are hopeful that better coordination with National Grid will expedite the restoration to stricken areas compared to response times during Tropical Storm Irene last year.
Helpful links
- Tips | Emergency numbers, websites
- If power fails, get storm info on your mobile phone
- Check current school closings, delays
- Live WPRI cam from Narragansett Beach
- WPRI storm tracker: Follow Sandy's path
- Livestream WPRI Sandy coverage
- Gallery: A look back at RI storms | Prepping for Sandy
- Video: As Sandy approaches, Going into storm mode in R.I.
- Poll: Are you worried about Sandy?
- On Twitter: Follow #sandyRI for local impact
Regarding school cancellations and evacuation of low lying areas, Chafee said those decisions would be left to individual communities.
Another main concern is the fact that the storm's arrival coincides with a full moon causing already high tides.
Asked about the duration of the storm, Gen. McBride said they expect high winds to start tonight with the biggest impact Monday morning but that the state will still be feeling the effects of Sandy until Tuesday.