Community preparedness — Rhode Island
Nor'easters, coastal flooding, hurricanes, ice storms, and the March 2010 "1,000-year flood" that broke every river gauge in the state. URI Extension statewide. CERT teams in all 5 counties. Ham operators who keep the Ocean State connected when storms cut the power.
Enter your ZIP to find volunteer groups, training programs, civic organizations, and mutual aid networks in your area.
Organizations and programs near you
Emergency response & training
Food & mutual aid
Skills & learning
Civic & service organizations
Don't see what you're looking for? Search Google Maps →
Community calendar
5
Counties
1
NWS forecast office
5+
Amateur radio clubs
1
Community college
Where to plug in
Rhode Island is the nation's smallest state, but its hazards are full-sized. The coast faces hurricane storm surge and nor'easters. Inland rivers flood dramatically during major rain events. Extreme heat hits its dense urban neighborhoods. And the state's compact size means community networks can mobilize across the whole state quickly when they're organized.
University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension operates statewide, serving all five Rhode Island counties from offices in Kingston, Providence, and satellite locations. Programming spans horticulture, food safety, nutrition, 4-H youth development, natural resources, and community development. URI Extension's Master Gardener program is active across all 5 counties.
Extension runs food preservation workshops, urban agriculture and community garden support, coastal hazard education, and nutrition programs serving some of the state's most vulnerable communities. The 4-H program serves thousands of Rhode Island youth with hands-on agriculture and life skills education.
Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA) coordinates the state's all-hazards emergency program. Rhode Island's compact size means RIEMA can coordinate state-level response quickly, but individual municipality preparedness varies. The state has 39 cities and towns, each with emergency management responsibility.
CERT programs are active in Providence, Kent, Washington, Newport, and Bristol counties. After the March 2010 flooding — which broke river gauges across the state and caused over $200 million in damage — CERT enrollment grew significantly statewide. Training is free.
The American Red Cross Connecticut and Rhode Island Region serves Rhode Island. First aid, CPR, AED, and water safety classes are offered in Providence, Warwick, and other communities year-round. During the 2010 flood, Red Cross opened shelters and provided disaster relief across multiple RI counties. Volunteer entry points include shelter operations and disaster assessment.
Rhode Island has several amateur radio clubs in the ARRL Rhode Island Section, part of the New England Division. Despite its small size, RI ham operators provide critical backup communications during nor'easters, coastal storms, and flooding events. ARES teams activated during the 2010 flood to support emergency management operations statewide.
Getting licensed costs $15 for the exam and about $35 for a basic handheld radio. Study at hamstudy.org. Clubs in Providence, Warwick, Newport, and other communities host exams regularly.
NWS Boston/Norton primarily serves Rhode Island, with NWS New York/Upton covering the southwestern corner. Both run SKYWARN spotter training. Rhode Island's location between Narragansett Bay and the open Atlantic makes it highly exposed to coastal storms, and trained spotters reporting conditions along the shoreline are especially valuable.
RI's weather hazards include nor'easters, hurricanes (the 1938 Great New England Hurricane devastated the state), coastal flooding and storm surge, ice storms, and the extreme river flooding seen in 2010. Training is free.
Rhode Island has over 50 public library locations overseen by the Ocean State Libraries network and the Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services. Providence Public Library, Cranston Public Library, and Warwick Public Library run extensive community programming. In a compact state, library networks can reach every community efficiently.
Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) is the state's single community college, operating 4 campuses: Providence, Warwick (Knight), Lincoln, and Newport. CCRI offers EMT certification, fire science, nursing, criminal justice, welding, and other practical programs.
Why this matters
In March 2010, a slow-moving storm system dumped relentless rain on Rhode Island for days. Rivers across the state rose to record levels — the Pawtuxet River, Blackstone River, and others crested far beyond their previous records. Gauges went off the charts. The Mall at Cranston, an entire shopping center, was completely underwater. Neighborhoods in Cranston, Warwick, West Warwick, and other communities flooded in ways that hadn't been seen in living memory. Damage exceeded $200 million. The event was described as a once-in-a-millennium flood.
Rhode Island's compact size worked in its favor. CERT volunteers mobilized quickly across the state. Ham radio operators provided emergency communications for flood-affected communities. Volunteer fire companies ran boat rescues in flooded residential streets. Red Cross opened shelters and coordinated relief.
Because Rhode Island is so small — you can drive from one end to the other in under an hour — volunteer networks can reach every community quickly when they're organized. The March 2010 flood proved both the vulnerability of the state's river systems and the strength of its community response capacity.
In a state this small, every neighbor is close. The organizations on this page make sure those neighbors are connected before the next flood comes.
The foundation
Community resilience begins with a household that can take care of itself. Cover the first 72 hours, then extend outward to your street, your neighborhood, your town.
Start with the first 72 hours