Flooded neighborhood may never recover

CRANSTON, R.I. (WPRI) - It has been three months since flood waters ravaged Rhode Island but one Cranston neighborhood remains a ghost town.

Most of the homes on Perkins Avenue sit empty. Nearly half the street’s residents still have not returned home due to struggles with repairing their homes.

Residents say their biggest hurdle to conquer is getting their insurance companies to pay flood-related claims, even on policies that carry flood protection.

Other people say even if they can fix their homes, they are reluctant to return, fearing their homes could be destroyed all over again in the future. Signs are up throughout the neighborhood that say after four major floods in 2010 alone, homeowners want out.

Shelia Rossi is just one of a handful of residents who are rebuilding. She says the damage was so extensive to her home that everything, including the walls, needed to be gutted.

The ground floor of Rossi’s home was swamped by 71 inches of water, destroying all of belongings including expensive appliances such as her boiler.

Amy Singei is another resident who decided to rebuild. She spent the last three months living in a trailer but was finally able to return home Monday.

Neighbors say of the dozen homes that remain empty, they expect only about half of those residents to return.