Ribbons Mark the Spots Where Hurricane of 1938 Hit R.I.

Blue plastic ribbons are tied high on the trees and utility poles in downtown Providence, at Narragansett Pier, at Mackerel Cove in Jamestown and in Portsmouth’s Island Park — all marking the height of the storm surge from the Hurricane of 1938.

Seventy years ago tomorrow, the great hurricane sped up the East Coast, wreaking havoc along the way before slamming hard into New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island. About 700 people died, including 400 in Rhode Island, all caught unawares by the fast-moving storm.

Yesterday morning, Governor Carcieri, state Emergency Management Agency Executive Director J. David Smith, National Weather Service hydrologist-in-charge David Vallee, and representatives from the Independent Insurance Agents of Rhode Island and Narragansett Bay Insurance spoke about the need to be prepared for a hurricane. While the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier will protect Providence from another storm surge like the one in 1938, the rest of the coast is vulnerable.

A banner showing the high-water mark of the Hurricane of 1938 is tied around a light post in Kennedy Plaza, across the street from the Providence Biltmore hotel. The Providence Journal Mary Murphy

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