Flooded Johnston street to be declared disaster area

November 29, 2018 4:33 pm

JOHNSTON, R.I. (WLNE) — Help could be on the way for several frustrated people in Johnston who have been essentially trapped in their homes for days because of flooding. Belfield Drive will now be declared a natural disaster area allowing the federal government to step in and help solve the problem.

Unfortunately even the short term plan won’t bring immediate relief. The federal government’s plan will take time and the town stopped pumping the water out a few days ago because the mayor says it wasn’t making a difference. But with rain on the way, some people are concerned and angry more isn’t being done now.

Belfield Drive is still a flooded mess. The dead end cut off by standing water, the people who live on the other side having to make do.

“That’s our boat, someone borrowed our boat. I mean that’s the drastic measures we’re taking in our own hands and I just don’t think it’s fair,” says Carl Melidossian.

He’s been driving his huge pick up truck through the water reaching the doors.

“It’s really scary right now to drive through it so for the mayor to say its not a danger, I mean there’s not even a caution sign up,” he says.

This morning Mayor Polisena met with several state and federal agencies to come up with a long term solution.

“The first phase would be to resolve the flooding in the immediate Belfield Drive area through a buyout and wetland restoration,” says Alan Gillespie, state conversation engineer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

That means they’ll be offering to buy 2 properties. The owners would be paid to voluntarily move out, their homes demolished so flood waters can drain there, without impacting other homes.

But realistically that’s not happening anytime soon.

“I think that’s probably a great idea but when this thing turns to ice, I don’t know what type of apparatus they plan on bringing here to get us in and out it,” says Melidossian.

Despite the complaints from residents, the mayor says it’s not a public safety concern and police will continue to shuttle residents if needed.

“It’s a pain for those people I understand, I sympathize but they have to be patient,” says Mayor Joe Polisena.

The reason for the flooding is a clogged pipe in an area that was a dump decades ago. Fixing that is the long term plan but the area is polluted so they’ll need help from the EPA.