CRANSTON, R.I. -- A demolition crew tore off the roof and punched through a wall of the house at 99 Perkins Avenue on Wednesday, part of a $1.2-million plan by the city of buy and destroy up to 10 homes on the narrow street, hard hit by flooding three years ago.
So far, the city has purchased a half dozen homes along the nearby Pawtuxet River.
In March 2010, the rain-swollen river sent sheets of muddy water into dozens of homes in the area, forcing many residents to flee.
"Some did not come back," Mayor Allan Fung said during Wednesday's press conference.
Fung said he and others worked with state and federal officials to get money to buy the homes and turn the area into a park, which will act as a buffer against future flooding. The street, he said, will "hopefully return to the natural wetlands" it once was.