State of Emergency declared in RI

CRANSTON, R.I. (WPRI) -- As the hurricane makes its way towards the Northeast, Gov. Lincoln Chafee has signed a Declaration of Emergency in advance of the potential impact brought by Hurricane Sandy.

"We have grave concerns about not only the high winds like we did a year ago with Irene, the rain is not expected to be significant, but now the most worrisome aspect of Sandy is the high tides, particularly on Monday," said Governor Chafee during Sunday's news conference.

Major General Kevin McBride recommends that everyone complete their preparations for the storm by nightfall on Sunday evening. People who will be evacuating their communities to stay with relatives should do so before the nighttime hours.

"The storm will be around for most of the day on Monday, and the remnants on Tuesday," stated McBride.

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The governor, along with state and emergency officials held a news conference at noon Sunday at RIEMA headquarters in Cranston.

Gov. Chafee updated residents on what the state is doing to prepare for the storm, as well as what the public should doing to prepare as well.

Officials are urging Rhode Islanders to text first, call later when attempting to reach friends and family members during and after the storm, in order to free up land lines for first responders and critical information exchange.

For more information about storm preparedness, visit our Storm Ready page.

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