About a year ago, we had the honor of meeting Governor Chafee after Tropical Storm Irene.  He toured the area and assessed damage from that storm which for us was the loss of our decks outside... minimal compared to today.  Who would have thought that a year later we would be meeting the Governor under the some conditions but with a MUCH bigger storm.  I for one am hoping that we never have to meet Governor Chafee again, at least not under these circumstances.  Frankie said to him, "The next time we see you, you better be in Bermuda shorts enjoying a Paddy's Hurricane cocktail and not assessing the damage from one." The local and federal government officials have been extremely supportive and sympathetic to the town of Westerly and I would like to thank them for their support during this time of rebuilding and regrowth.  Now we will have to see how much their support means concerning our real world circumstance. 

Much is happening down at the beach, the debris is slowly being cleared away, the structures are boarded up.  There are a few events and organizations you can support to help the beach community restoration.  The first is the Misquamicut Relief Volunteer Effort for Saturday, November 3 and Sunday, November 4. Serve Rhode Island, the Misquamicut Business Association and the Greater Westerly Pawcatuck Chamber of Commerce are coordinating a Hurricane Sandy clean up and recovery effort for the businesses and homes impacted by the storm. For more information go to www.serverhodeisland.org.  Residents and business owners were "officially" allowed all the way down to Atlantic Ave today.  We thank the MBA and the Chamber for bringing in Serve Rhode Island.  Serve Rhode Island will help with removal of debris for some of these people and we thank them for volunteering their time.

We will not be at the beach Saturday, November 3rd.  

However, we will be there Sunday, November 4th.  

 And while this clean up process will be a long and painstaking process the focus will soon turn to rebuilding and regrowth.

Check out the following link to WPRI news coverage with an interview with our own Frankie - he discusses the difference between destruction and opportunity

http://www.wpri.com/dpp/weather/hurricane/fema-reps-to-tour-damaged-areas-in-ri

Over the weekend we will be posting updated pictures from our cleanup efforts.  Please make sure you follow the blog via email to get updates.  Thanks :)