NEW: Chafee Has Asked FEMA to Evaluate Storm Damage

NEW: Chafee Has Asked FEMA to Evaluate Storm Damage

As the state continues to dig itself out of last weekend’s mammoth blizzard, Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee has reportedly asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to evaluate the damage left by the storm to see whether or not the state qualifies for federal aid.

“The Governor has made a request for FEMA to evaluate the damage to see whether or not the State of Rhode Island will meet the threshold for public assistance,” said Chafee spokeswoman Christine Hunsinger.

In all, Hunsinger said, Rhode Island did an “excellent job handling the storm.”

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“DOT prepared and treated the roads before the storm and plowed as quickly as they could,” she said. “They worked for over 48 hours making the roads safe for Rhode Islanders. At some points during this event, there were 100 state vehicles and about 400 private vendors clearing state roads.”

Hunsinger said most Rhode Islanders heeded the governor’s warning to stay off the roads and that helped workers clear the snow much faster than they would have been able to otherwise.

“While, at this time, we don’t have a total number of accidents, there seem to have been no major complications,” she said.

Hunsinger said that the state’s residents seemed to have learned from past big-weather events, like October’s Superstorm Sandy and 2011’s Tropical Storm Irene.

“Rhode Islanders have been through tough storms before and understand that preparation and heeding the advice of officials is key to weathering these storms,” she said.