RIEMA urges residents to prep for storm

CRANSTON, R.I. (WPRI) -- The Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency in Cranston is in “wait and see” mode in advance of Friday’s upcoming storm.

The first flakes are predicted to fall early Friday morning and could dump one to two feet of snow across Southern New England - prompting the National Weather Service to issue a Blizzard Watch for the entire state of Rhode Island.

• Know More: Major Winter Storm Likely
• From the Meteorologists: Pinpoint Weather Blog

The RIEMA  is closely monitoring the weather situation and is urging residents to be prepared.

“Keeping warm during winter power outages is critical, especially for the elderly or for people who are not physically active or use life-sustaining equipment. Now is the perfect time to check your emergency kits and replace anything that is broken or expired,” RIEMA Executive Director Theresa C. Murray said.

“Right now we are closely monitoring the National Weather Service, and we are on stand-by and ready if they would like to schedule a conference call to talk about the storm,” said RIEMA spokeswoman Annemarie Beardsworth.

Some Rhode Islanders we spoke to are getting ready for the big storm.

"It doesn't worry me. Just slow it down on the highways and let the plow guys make some money," said driver Tony Sousa.

"I'm just waiting for something decent. I have my snow thrower sitting outside, full of gas waiting to go," said driver Mark Ganley

What Rhode Islander’s remember most clearly is the ‘December Debacle’ just five years ago in December of 2007. In Providence, city and state officials were caught asleep at switch which left drivers, including school children, stranded on local highways for hours.

"That was a reminder to us that we do need to keep a close eye on storms that are coming in, and really thinking about if they're going to be hitting us during commute times or school dismissal times," said Beardsworth.

Cities such as Fall River have already begun planning for the storm.

"We are a city of 100,000 people, we have 275 miles of roadway which equates to 750 streets. That is quite a bit and everybody needs to get around," said John Perry, Director of Operation at Fall River Public Works.

The Red Cross is urging residents to prepare for this upcoming winter storm, emphasizing that preparing early for the storm will help avoid last minute rushing.

The Red Cross recommends how families should prepare:

• Assemble an emergency preparedness kit: This should include winter-specific supplies such as warm clothes, hats, gloves, water resistant shoes, extra blankets, and sand or non-clumping kitty litter.
• Follow storm warnings: A winter storm WATCH means storm conditions are possible in the next 36-48 hours, a winter storm WARNING means that life-threatening or severe weather conditions have begun or will begin within 24 hours.
• Prepare your home and car: Keep your gas tank full to keep the fuel line from freezing and make sure your home is properly insulated.
• Use technology: Free apps can give real-time information to help you prepare.

Eyewitness News will be live streaming our newscasts as the storm approaches and hits Southern New England. Bookmark this link to watch them live online.

Stay with Eyewitness News for updates on the path of this upcoming storm.