on the phone as promised rhode island governor lincoln chafee.nor, are you breathing a sigh of relief yet or not quite? >> yes, we're getting there. certainly the power outages we have to deal with now and some of the roadblockages with the trees down, but out here in newport is really the boating capital you might see internationally if not nationally here in new por harbor. we're getting through that pretty well, also. i've traveled to various harbors and despite the high winds i think we've come through it okay so far. >> what are some of your top concerns, sir, as we are further along here into our sunday? we were talking winds, we're talking toppled trees. are you advising people to stay home? >> yes. it's the power lines that come down, the electrical wires you have to be careful of. falling trees, have to be careful about that. the winds are still strong in rhode island. >> just looking behind you, a lot of folks have come out already, kind of assessing things, there's no rain. for the most part people are going to feel like the danger is

and here in newport, rhode island, what we're experiencing is called west wines basically on an island on the on and off and there is no barrier, so the winds are just beating us from offshore. we're getting wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour at some point and as you can see these boats are rocking in the harbor. there has been people coming in and out, checking on their boats all day long and we spoke to residents who actually live on their boats and they say what they are concerned about is some of the sailboats docked out in the harbor and they are concerned that they may break loose and head into shore. so everybody is vigilantly watching what is happening on the shoreline, halpern. heather, thank you very much. >> meteorologist mark tamayo. >> we have the most recent update from the hurricane sinter winds down to 50 miles per hour. one piece of good news. it has picked up in acceleration over the past few hours. location moving into vermont, you can still see a signal rain- producer heading to the north and east, but overnight, this system will be moving into canada, still capable

kate bolduan in providence, rhode island. we're going to check in with all of our crews there giving us a different perspective of things. let's begin with kate bolduan in providence. >> kate, what are you seeing? >> reporter: hey there, brooke. similar to what we've been seeing throughout the day, kind of a general trend of the rain dissipating as well as we're still getting some pretty strong gusts. the wind does seem to be dying down quite a bit. it seems the focus now and the challenge now is to try to get people back online, get the power back online. we're hearing that about 50% of the state of rhode island is without power at this time. we know the company, national grid, are working very hard to get people out there to fix the problem and start getting people back online. some of the trouble they'll deal with is that there's a lot of debris in the roads. we've seen it ourselves. as well as some here in providence and neighboring cities. warwick, especially. trees down in the roads all throughout the state. power lines

michelle is a resident of bristol, rhode island and she joins us on the phone right now. so michelle, i don't know if you heard chad there talking about rhode island and the flood potential, but what are your concerns? >> yeah, it sounds like everything we're hearing around here, we're just going to get lots of rain for quite some time, i think i have heard 18 hours. and our thing is we're going to be getting the new moon and the high tide around the same time. and so a lot of people, my door, i come outside and i'm looking right at our harbor and so we're very worried about just a storm surge coming in with lots of water, the businesses and homes are right here on the water front. so a lot of flooding. i have never seen the stores and businesses board up the windows like they are with this hurricane coming in. so everyone's taking the precautions, moving things to higher ground, the cars, the belongings on the first floor of your home. >> so what have you done, those very things? >> getting the car -- mandatory evacuations are at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. i have plan

after my parents had divorced, i spent most of my youth in the state of rhode island, southern rhode island, and then after i graduated high school, i went to undergraduate college in st. louis, missouri and then came out here for grad school, which fell in love with san francisco bay area. all of my plans changed and this became my home. i worked as an environmental analyst for a number of think tanks and then applied that trade in law enforcement, where i went to the san francisco police academy many, many years ago, graduated as a academy class, president of the class. trained in environmental forensics, both here locally, state and federally by the usepa in the training center in georgia and i worked for the district attorney's office in san francisco for nine years before becoming elected supervisor. >> and you spent most of your adult life in san francisco. >> yes. >> why did you make the choice to live in the city? >> oh, my god, i had never been west of the mississippi until i came here. growing up, we read a lot in our household but many of the books that i was drawn to were

here in providence, rhode island and throughout rhode island, they moved into cleanup and recovery modeas you can see, the rain has tapered off. if you came to me five minutes ago i would also say the winds subsided, but they kicked up significantly in the last five minutes. on the tail end of this storm we may get some significant gusts, a reminder of where the damage we have seen really was coming from. now we are hearing crews are out on the streets having to work with a lot of debris that we've seen as we have been driving through providence. there's downed trees, significantly large trees down as well as downed power lines. but it appears the focus is getting people back online. the local power company, the national grid, the last update is that they're working on trying to get half of the state that has been without power, so some 257,000 customers are still without power. some restrictions they had in place, particularly warwick. they had a travel restriction in place saying only emergency vehicles can be on the road because of the downed power lines and the conditions. that has

that's rhode island. we're broadcasting from new york city where we're just getting now the full brunt of this storm. we're expected to be in that status for another couple of hours. new york city is virtually shutdown can hurricane irene making landfall this morning. typically along the, officially along the new jersey shore, near the little egg inlet, shores estimated at 75 miles per hour. the big apple is being battered with heavy rains and lashing winds. at of this hour officially there are at least ten deaths blamed on this category 1 storm. connecticut's governor also said one person died in that state after a fire caused by downed wires. nearly 4 million people remain with power up and down the eastern seaboard. 9,000 flights have been cancelled through monday. the effects of hurricane irene being felt across this nation. plenty of potential dangers to come out of the eye of this storm. we have meteorologist bill karins here now with the latest watches and warnings. we've been given the update from

and here in new port, rhode island, we're feeling the effects right now of a west wind, we're basically on an island and the winds are coming in from oocean. we're getting up to 70-miles-an-hour gusts and we talked to the harbor master, and they say their concern is sailboats may break free and head out to shore. also, 250,000 people in rhode island are without power, could be up to three days before they get power back, and officials are also warning of flooding in low-lying areas so telling folks to be very careful. back to you. >> dan: still risk in the days ahead. crews from the bay area are in the northeast tonight to help with the aftermath of irene. nick smith is here with a look at what's being done to help. >> as soon as it was learned that irene had the mid-atlantic coast in its sights an emergency plan was put in place to deploy workers from the bay area to assist with whatever is needed. irene was was forceful than feared but still packed a punch in new york, rescue workers use the a raft to save this person from flashflooding that overtook their neighborhood. 34 members of

let's head northward to the small state of rhode island.o had big problems with a lot of wind. but thankfully they are for most part in the clear. we'll find kate bolduan in providence. looks like the wind died down significantly since we spoke to you about an hour ago. >> reporter: i'm going to say that then probably get a big gust of wind which seems to know as you know whenever we come on air, we get the big gusts. the wind has seemed to die down quit a bit. we have been getting rain off and on but nothing like people expected. much of what i heard from chris lawrence and many of my colleagues across the eastern seaboard, i can mir or that in saying many people here are relieved that what rhode island experienced was much less than they anticipated and that they had feared. i will tell you the challenge they face now is similar as other cities and states across the east is that they have a challenge now, a power problem really with the wind damage and wind gusts that we're still being told that we could be getting more wind gusts later t

it's now headed north toward rhode island and massachusetts. experts believe this storm is affecting more americans than any other single storm ever. at least 12 people have lost their lives. 4 million people are without power. can you believe that number? officials say it could be days better power is restored in some places. some of the biggest concerns, as much as 12 inches of rain fell in parse of new jersey. new jersey's governor experts damage, they're expecting it to reach into the tens of millions. this morning in long beach, northern, the sheer force of the water pushed what looks like a watchtower off its moorings, slamming it right into a nearby pier. we are expecting updays on the storm's response. from now all across the east cores. we will bring you updays when they happen. bill karins is at the weather center. what's the answer? >> the storm is now heading just exited westchester county, and now will head quickly to the north. it will quickly blow through new england. the rivers in new jersey, the warnings continue, warnings ever

rhode island for veterans.his grant has allowed or violence to begin the process, but it is only the beginning. it does not mean that anyone will not be held accountable for their actions simply because of military status, or even medical diagnosis alone. this is not a free pass. what this duty does mean is that we need to increase our focus on this group of people. we need to recognize them, implement programs that will address their unique challenges, and provide them with tolls and insight needed for them to become whole again. veterans courts are problem- solving course. rhode island is a small state, and we have tremendous collaboration with law enforcement, community mental health providers, and other state departments. the rhode island national guard has actively involved and fully support of. as we anticipate future drawdowns, the number of returning personnel who will retire the services will grow -- require the services will grow. this will allow us to address the individuals who enter the judicial sy

program in rhode island for veterans. this grant allows rhode island to begin this important process but as beginning. let me emphasis what this program does not mean. it does not mean that anyone will not be held accountable for their actions simply because of military status or even medical diagnosis alone. this is not a free pass. what this duty does mean is that we need to increase our focus on these people we need to recognize them and implement programs that will address their unique challenges and which will provide them with tools and insight needed to become whole again to reintegrate into society. veterans courts are problem-solving courts. rhode island is that unique position because it is a small state. we have tremendous collaboration with rhode island with law enforcement, community mental health providers and other state departments. the rhode island national guard has been actively involved and fully supportive. as we anticipate further drawdowns the number of personnel who will require these services will

in rhode island for veterans.owed rhode island to begin the process but it is only a beginning. let me emphasize what this program does not mean. it does not mean any one will not be held accountable for their actions because of military status or medical diagnosis. is not a free pass. what it means is we need to increase our focus on this group of people and recognize them and implement programs that will address their unique challenges and provide full and insight needed to become whole again, reintegrate successfully into society. veterans courts or problem-solving court. road island is a unique position because it is a small state. we have tremendous collaboration in rhode island with law-enforcement, mental health providers and other state department. road island national guard has been actively involved in supporting us. as we anticipate future drawdowns the number of returning personnel to require these services will grow substantially. the expansion of this program will allow us to fully address the variou

that includes about half of the state of rhode island. in new york, several hospitals are left without electricity. that shouldn't happen. crews are working to reestablish power but is going to be a while, we're told. meantime, state leaders are starting to tour the damage left behind by irene. governors chris christie of new jersey and tom corbett of pennsylvania got an upclose look at the wreckage. total damage across the east coast could run well past $7 billion. you have got to wonder fema says they are out of money. who is paying that? >> steve: sounds like they are going to move some money around that's already been appropriated because they have obviously got to do something. >> alisyn: take money from tornado victims from, say, job minute, missouri and move it to the victims of this. >> brian: go out and check with rick reichmuth now. he is our chief meteorologist working around the clock. right now in long beach, new york. we saw some of that footage, rick, of the lifeguard stand and we knew it came ashore around there. what are

we'll check back with you over the course of the next few hours from new port, rhode island. f the great work we're getting from our own cnn reporters, we're getting great reporting from you, our viewers. let's start with an i-report from oak island, north carolina. beautiful pictures there, julia bishop sent in this picture of the suffer there and also video here, flooding in atlantic beach, in north carolina, not so beautiful. that's the reality. kimberly segal went out and shot the footage and sent it to us. there is not just the carolinas getting hit at this point, that's from andrea alexander along the coast in virginia beach, virginia. and further north, let's go to new york right now, where they continue to brace for hurricane irene, mayor michael bloomberg at the microphone there. >> -- we'll talk about some other issues. i wanted to first say all of the forecasts are basically the same. the storm is headed in this direction, slightly east, slightly west, slightly stronger, slightly weaker, but this is a storm where if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time, it ca

newport, rhode island, how is it there?eporter: the skies are starting to brighten, the want still kicking up. next to the newport harbor, which is really popping. you can satisfy the waves flying up. we've seen fishermen and people come by to check out their boats. the concern is later on if the water rises when high tide comes in between 7:00 and 9:00 those boats will go up with the water and could come down on the dobbs. in the morning people have come to check to see their boats haven't broken loose that can cause damage has well. there are 480,000 utility customers. right now 160,000 folks are without power that's almost a third of the folks in rhode island have been knocked off the grid. authorities are working on getting that back up and running. there's danger, still windy, might take the national grid folks longer to address some of the situations. that's the situation right now, just trying to keep the power on and encouraging people to stay in and not to be out next to the water and to stay out of this wind. >> b

gives you an idea of what goes on in the town of newport, rhode island.hts, by the way, this hotel over here. as we speak, wolf, there is a wedding party going on inside of there. the bride and the groom do not want to give up this wedding date. they will always remember it's the day that hurricane irene came up the northeast coast. but i will tell you right now in newport there's a lot of frightened people because they haven't had a hurricane come through newport, rhode island, or new england for that matter for exactly 20 years. it was hurricane bob in 1991, 20 years ago last week. so they're used to nor'easters. they're useded to some flooding when the bad weather comes. but people don't board up much because they don't experience this. the mandatory evacuation order's in effect. here's the problem. this is unusual for us who cover hurricanes. usually there's one or two places in the united states a hurricane hits, that's where we center our resources. if you want to evacuate, you live in those areas, you go north, you go west, you go south. here it's

irene barted -- is headed toward rhode island and massachusetts after leaving flooding and downed trees behind in new york and new jersey. in new jersey we're just learning of two deaths, once a princeton firefighter. at least 13 people have died in five states at this hour. more than 4 million people are without power, and officials say it could be days before power is restored in some locations. one of the biggest concerns is storm surge and flooding. as much as 12 inches of rain fell in parts of new jersey causing the already saturated rivers to rise. governor chris christie expects damages to reach tens of millions. let's get the latest on irene. bill karins is still here with me, still tracking this storm. bill, what's the latest? >> we're still losing power outages. that's the next stop for irene. tropical storm, 60-mile-per-hour winds. the rainfall is starting to add up in new england, that's where it's really coming down hard. now about 4 inches of rain there. new york city had 6.8 inch officially. newark airport had almost 9 inches. the areas that didn't need it the least got i

>> we have hurricane barrier in providence rhode island.tures all worked to get the surge from the hurricane. they often engage them during storms. >> so they are closed tonight? >> i know that i have gone behind the new bedford wall during hurricanes and road it out pretty well. you do that for the whole nation that would be terrific. >> and expensive. on that note meet congressman michael grimm a rising star in congress. you represent staten island among other places. before i answer how much it will cost, how did the low lying areas in staten island one of the boroughs or counties in new york city that was evacuated partially how did it go and was it necessary? >> toward the evening they hunkered down. i think it was necessary. you don't want to take any chances. i got to tell you the administration and i would be the first to say when the mayor's office doesn't do their job the outreach was incredible. they were in contact with us constantly. harry was tremendous. we gave them a laundry list of needs and concerns. they were working with

this area rhode island massachusetts has been getting slammed. a result has been a ton of people without power. trees have come down snapped lines the polls are down and utility workers are trying to get the lights back on. there are 2707 thousand people here in the state of rhode island. about half of the state. so it's a big struggle they are expecting it to take several days to get the lights back on. one of the things that stopped the progress was the wind. because of the wind they couldn't get utility workers up in the air to address some of the higher problems and get the lights back on. a lot of people still without power. that should last for half of the week. we will be monitoring that progress tomorrow. high tied striking right about now. they are hoping that will be a flooding issue that will go back out to sea. they are not expecting the intense flooding that they were worried about that they suffered in the 1930s during the 1950s. in that sense they feel lukey. they have a big power problem coming in the coming days. >> are the folks

moody's has lowered the bond ranking for the city of central falls, rhode island, to junk status.s a warning to other towns. we'll examine the problem after the break. >>> a little music to get you going there and a cool shot of atlanta. well be the debt crisis plaguing the country is playing out microcosm in a small city in rhode island. moody's dropped central falls' bond ranking three notches after the city declared bankruptcy. this could serve as a warning to other cash strapped cities. here's cnn's mary snow. >> there used to be two stations in central falls. >> reporter: central falls fire chief john garvey heard the warnings about pension problems but he says they were down the road and expected that road to be a long one. >> there was always idle talk about pensions. we never thought it would come to this. we always thought there would be enough there. >> reporter: now there isn't. it follows years of fiscal mismanagement and declining revenues for rhode island's smallest city. troubles with its schools were so severe, all teachers were fired at one point. central falls' s

there is still a big concern in the state of rhode island.towards their livelihood authorities hoping no one gets injured will they are checking out what is certainly still a big event. >> shepard: molly line in newport, rhode island. now to massachusetts this is in the heart of boston from fox 25. showing it is still a very rainy day on the boston harbor. museum of science closed today. these are live pictures, marion, massachusetts where man alive, it is rocking out on the water today. pictures courtesy of wbz television our news service affiliate in boston. there's a swish pan underway if give us another view of the boats. it is rocking and going to continue to be rocking for the better part of the day. they've got a few more hours of this to go in and around the boston area. all of rhode island for the vast majority of new england as well, as this storm continues to steam roll is way toward the fadian border. burlington, vermont at the -- at the top of the screen starting to get bad rains. we've gone from the carolinas up the jersey shore

nbc's ron allen has our report tonight from central falls, cc1: rhode island. >> reporter: it is the smallest city in the country's smallest state. 19,000 people tucked in a single square mile, crushed by massive debt. >> we were left with no other practical option. >> reporter: central falls declared bankruptcy after years of cutting services and raising taxes, up 20% last year, yet it's still swamped by $80 million in pension costs for cc: city workers, nearly five times the annual budget, and nothing but red ink in sight. >> i'm nearly 65. i don't have time for a do-over. >> reporter: deputy chief jerry conoyer says he gave his all fo: 35 years.cc1: now he and other retirees may only get half the pensions they were promised. as a bankruptcy court balances the city's books. >> the american dream is being : pulled out from under us. cc1: >> reporter: it is a problem in cities across the country, millions owed to teachers, police, public employees past and present, and falling behind on the payments. >> if a municipality runs into bankruptcy problems, that can spread in terms of redu

. >>> hurricane warning from north carolina to rhode island. so we're looking at a category 1 at 85 miles an hour that will continue to be a category 1 as it lashes much of the eastern seaboard. north carolina getting hammered with wind gusts have over 70 miles an hour. we are looking at tornado watches all the way up through virginia and wall of water, that storm surge moving into washington, d.c. later on. we're talking in the next 24 hours of some very heavy rain, urban flooding and coastal flooding and not out 6 woods until later on sunday. in terms of how it looks right now, you can see the eye of the storm has been on shore for over three hours and is heading in to new jersey and new york. the rain there and that will last right on through tomorrow. look at our weather coming up. >>> mayor of washington, d.c. and the governors in ten states have declared states of emergencies. u.s. airlines says it will cancel 6,000 flights over the next three days. three major airports are closed. laguardia, j.f.k. and newark. bay area flights are being

two when we are all just are saying this storm has now passed new york city is heading towards rhode island newport rhode island and new england any could even try to become a little bit greater as it gains momentum heading that way by eight each turn out to be a lot less than what was anticipated and what we're seeing hyped up and at this point it's just about cleanup here in new york. over close and fall. and the developments unraveling albie east coast of america which has been hit by the use of extreme weather and you can log onto our you tube channel to watch the most recent and most impressive videos from the hurricane site. and. the news today is once again. these are the images rogue world seeing from the streets of canada. and europe spreading debt crisis is threatening to draw in france as the government announced new austerity measures earlier this week amid concerns it could lose its aaa credit rating now the new deficit reducing package will see some twelve billion euros worth of cuts plus a tox hike for the rich authorities dial bushell explains the move could be too little to

>> we have hurricane barrier in providence rhode island.t the surge from the hurricane. they often engage them during storms. >> so they are closed tonight? >> i know that i have gone behind the new bedford wall during hurricanes and road it out pretty well. you do that for the whole nation that would be terrific. >> and expensive. on that note meet congressman michael grimm a rising star in congress. you represent staten island among other places. before i answer how much it will cost, how did the low lying areas in staten island one of the boroughs or counties in new york city that was evacuated partially how did it go and was it necessary? >> toward the evening they hunkered down. i think it was necessary. you don't want to take any chances. i got to tell you the administration and i would be the first to say when the mayor's office doesn't do their job the outreach was incredible. they were in contact with us constantly. harry was tremendous. we gave them a laundry list of needs and concerns. they were working with us. across the board

this is rhode island's poorest and smallest city. but state officials here are saying the failed retirement system should serve as a warning. particularly to other cities fire chief john garvey heard the warnings about pension problems, but he says they were down the road and he expected that road to be a long one. >> there was always idle talk around here about the pensions, but we never thought it would come to this. we always thought there would be enough there. >> reporter: now, there isn't. it follows years of fiscal mismanagement and declining revenues for rhode island's smallest city. troubles with its schools were so severe, all its teachers were fired at one point. central falls schools are now run by the state and volunteers operate the library. it was the city's pension obligations that put it over the edge and into bankruptcy court. central falls pension fund is underfunded by an estimated $80 million. retirees now face the possibility their pensions will be cut in half and they will be required to pay more for health ben

newport rhode island and new england and it could even become a little bit greater as it gains momentum heading that way but it did turn out to be a lot less than what was anticipated and what was hyped up and at this point it's just about cleanup here in new york. of course we're closely following the developments all raveling on the east coast of america which has been hit by a wave of extreme weather. for you to travel to watch the most recent as well as the most impressive video from the hurricane site. now europe spreading debt crisis is threatening to grow enough for the government announce a new austerity measures earlier this week amid concerns it could lose its aaa credit rating well the deficit reducing package will see some twelve billion euros worth of cuts plus a tax hike for the rich daniel bushell explains the move could be too little too late with fears that social unrest is just around the corner. enjoys a triple a credit rating for now one of the toys ratios among the world's top rated states many investors bitterly to follow the u.s. and be downgraded just repaying in

newport rhode island in new england and it could even become a little bit greater as it gains momentum heading that way on at this point the city is dealing with lots of writing on making sure that you know no kind of power outages increase throughout new york city but it did turn out to be a lot less than what was anticipated and what was hyped up and at this point it's just about cleanup here in new york. right marina for nial live from new york thanks for that update. and we will continue to keep a close eye on developments on rambling on america's east coast stay with our web site r t dot com to get the latest news updates images and some live broadcast throughout the day. europe spreading debt crisis is threatening to draw in france as the government announced new austerity measures earlier this week amid concerns it could lose its aaa credit rating the new deficit reducing package will see some twelve billion euros worth of cuts plus a tax hike for the rich but as our tuesday a bushel explains the move could be too little too late with fears social unrest is around the corner. pr

i'm joined by the general treasurer for rhode island.to see you today. >> good morning. >> so i understand that the state took over central falls's finances last year. explain how the bankruptcy works and what happens next for this town. >> well, the governor and the receiver have been in charge of the bankruptcy process. and my office has not been involved in that. but the city filed for bankruptcy yesterday. you know, obviously this is devastating. it is difficult for the town. but we are hopeful that they will be able to begin anew and look forward to a more prosperous day and begin the hard work of rebuilding the city. i think the message for all of us in this is that these fiscal problems are challenging, they're difficult, and they don't go away. and they don't fix themselves. and unfortunately this town, this city had to file for bankruptcy. i think the message to other state and city leaders is it's time to stand up and take action to fix these fiscal problems so they don't get out of hand like they have been here. >> central fal

. >> reporter: the story here in newport, rhode island the power outages you mentioned. most of the customers remain without power and that's possible to go on for some time to come. irene has now ended her run of the eastern seaborge. irene was felt from boston to washington. >> everything is floating. my bed is floating, my freezer is floating. everything is nosing. >> reporter: mother nature is wreaking havoc on travel plans. >> from l.a.x. we go to nashville, from nashville we go to washington, d.c., from washington, d.c. we're on our own. amtrak to penn station, to rhode island railroad to jamaica and then air train to j.f.k. >> reporter: new york city was doomed some of the predictions. >> everybody is okay, all that stuff can be replaced. you can't replace dogs, you can't replace your mother so it's all right. >> reporter: there's flooded treats to contain with and flooded beaches. a similar sight further south, widespread power outages stretched from philadelphia to north carolina. the commander in chief cautions the country we're not out of the woods yet. >> man

that includes half the state of rhode island.icity. crews are working to reestablish power, but it's going to be a while. state leaders are starting to tour the damage left behind by irene. they've got governor chris christie and tom car bet of pennsylvania -- corbett, he got an up close look at the wreckage by a helicopter. total damage across the east coast could run $7 billion, is this morning's estimate. >> alisyn: take a look at the catastrophic effect it's having further inland. these raging waters flooding bettington, vermont. the state is seeing some of the worst flooding ever. in the capitol of montpelier, officials are urging residents to leave and they might have to flood that city on purpose in order to save a nearby dam that is overflowing. they hope the rain let's up and they don't have to do that. >> brian: if you're trying to get on a flight, here is your airport update. jfk and newark airports reopened for arrivals only. departures begin at noon. la guard guardia open to arrivals and departures. delays are still

we have the mayor of providence, rhode island. mayor, good to talk to you today.e job at hand for you right now. >> thank you contessa for having us. we're working on getting the information out to people similar in what you're doing in terms of the internet over the radio, on our website. we want to make sure that everyone takes the storm seriously. it's always better to be prepared. that's what we need to do here. putting gas in your car, having battery powered radio, making sure people understand some of the basics for what we need to do because we do expect an impact and we'll know more about the strength of that impact later today. but we're expecting an impact here in rhode island. >> mayor, in terms of the geographic makeup is there anything that puts your city at particular ris snk. >> one of the things about it is obviously we're right on the water and there's also we're expecting some flooding because of the -- we're going to have a pretty high tide when the storm's expected to hit. so that's something else that we're aware of being careful with. fortuna

in central falls, rhode island, it's too late.own is buried in debt and has filed for bankruptcy protection, hanging in the balance, city services, taxes and pension and benefits for city workers and retirees. i'm joined by rhode island governor lincoln chaffey. good to see you today. >> good afternoon. >> why did it get to this point for this particular town? to get to the point where they have to file for bankruptcy protection? >> well, at one time central falls, although it's only one square mile, was a very prosperous community. that economy has changed, as you said in your lead-in. the crash of '08 really just exacerbated the financial problems and the revenues are not meeting expenditures anymore so we have to file for bankruptcy. the end goal is to get central falls in some way either merged with another community or shared services to get back on its feet. >> there's a state senator, elizabeth crowley, who said this whole filing was premature. she says that you and the state should have given retirees more time to consider

molly line in newport, rhode island.ooks windy there, too, mols. >> not that southwesterly breeze that doug is enjoying in ocean city. still rocking the waves around here in the newport harbor. watching the boats and the last hour and a half things have really picked up. thought things were starting to taper off but not the case. another band of strong wind and now the rain is picking up, too, as well. authorities are urging people to stay off the roads. not a lot of people heeding the warnings. we have seen a number of folks come down to take pictures. the warwick police also urged followings to stay inside. they say that their police and emergency personnel are having trouble getting from place to place. people are driving up to take a look at beaches. leaving cars on the streets to get a close are look at the beach and those cars are causing a problem for officials. power outages being seen all over the state. 160,000 to 170,000 people without power that the point in time. authorities say that could take hours if not

. >>> tough times for folks living in central falls, rhode island.tory yesterday. the town was forced to file for bankruptcy after failing to get police and firefighter retirees to give up half their pensions. mary snow is live in central falls this morning. a name that will ring a bell with some people, mary, this is not -- for a little town in rhode island it has had national headlines before. >> absolutely, ali. this is a town where the entire school system had to fire its teachers at one point because the state was strapped for money. the teachers are under the state system, but police and fire and you've just mentioned those pensions, that became crucial and why this town filed for bankruptcy, state officials are calling this a cautionary tale for cities and towns across america that promised benefits on pensions 10, 20 years down the road and now the time is coming and the money isn't there. $80 million in unfunded pension liability. and there are also cuts to the police force, the fire force. talking about a 40% reduction that's caused a lot o