CRANSTON, R.I. -- Torrential rain and flooding brought traffic to a standstill at key intersections throughout the city for a short time Monday, including the busy juncture of Park and Reservoir Avenues. Flooding also forced fire officials to order the evacuation of some apartment buildings on Oaklawn Avenue.
Fire Chief William McKenna said firefighters were using boats to get some people out of the apartment complexes which are located in a low-lying area near the intersection with Dean Parkway.
An estimated 60 people were forced to leave the apartments as the area flooded so quickly that about half needed firefighters' assistance to get out.
McKenna said that elsewhere in the city, firefighters had to wade through some deep puddles to help stranded motorists.
It was the same drill for police officers, with the day shift required to stay on duty until the storm passed, said Major Robert Ryan.
"No one was seriously injured and that's the most important thing," he said.
The flooding in some areas was more than 3 feet deep, officials estimated.
Some people managed to find fun in the stormy weather, with youngsters in inflatable boats seen floating in flooded areas near Western Hills Middle School on Phenix Avenue.
Some of the worst flooding occurred at Park and Reservoir, where water backed up into the parking lot of the Burger King restaurant there and began to splash at the doors.
Ryan said that the traffic snarls on Reservoir were exacerbated by the fact that State Police were forced to temporarily block access to Route 95 south in the vicinity of the Reservoir Avenue overpass.
That closure forced cars on Route 10 south to have to divert to Reservoir Avenue.
"We realize it was an inconvenience on a holiday when there was a lot of traffic and people trying to get places," Ryan said. "But it was just one of those situations where the roads become impassable."
As the rain abated, cars that had been forced to become amphibious could be seen pulled over all along Reservoir Avenue with their hoods up as drivers tried to figure out if they would get going again.