Second round of RI EEE spraying set for this week

A second round of aerial spraying to fight off the deadly mosquito-borne virus EEE has to wait another day as Massachusetts was first in line to get the job done and was delayed because of less than ideal weather conditions.

The situation has been so serious that this is the first time Rhode Island has done aerial spraying since the 1990’s. The first round of spraying was done earlier this month in four zones.

This round will target the West Warwick and Westerly areas, impacting 12 communities altogether.

Between Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, four people have died from EEE.

Ken Ayars is the chief of the Agricultural Division with the Rhode Island DEM who said that although the agency typically budgets around $100,000 for projects like this, state officials have given the agency a green light to do whatever it takes to keep people safe.

“Finances will work itself out. I can’t say exactly I know how that’s going to happen,” Ayars said.

With this second round of spraying, it’s costing the state around $550,000.

“We’re talking in the range of $550,000 including some cost incurred by the Department of Health,” Ayars said. “Subtract from that the federal money that we got we’re in the range of mid [$300,000].”

The state received $170,000 from the CDC but Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse are requesting more, saying that the state needs to be prepared in case another outbreak hits Rhode Island.

“We just don’t want to respond to the initial outbreak. We want to be prepared for the longer run,” Reed said. “We would like as substantial federal contribution as possible.”

Spraying will begin at the earliest Tuesday night.

As for a possible third round of spraying, the DEM said it’s unlikely as cooler weather that will kill off adult mosquitoes is just around the corner.