Rhode Island Looks Forward

Six months after Rhode Island experienced the worst floods in over 200 years, the state is considering different proposals to protect against future damage, including aid to small businesses for relocation. The problem, of course, is that the cities and the state are broke. And the small businesses certainly cannot afford to relocate themselves at this point in the economic cycle. The Providence Journal reported the scope of the flood clean-up. The town of West Warwick removed from its roads and sidewalks:

• 2,000 tons of silt and sludge
• 427 tons of construction debris and furniture
• 11.8 tons of ruined electronics, such as microwaves and air conditioners
• 7 tons of water-soaked mattresses and box springs
• 2.5 tons of tires

During the boom cycle, we should have been investing in our infrastructure and in our security, investments that would prove critical in leaner time. Now we have critical needs for our communities, but we lack the means to pay for them.