Hurricane Sandy Updates – Saturday, Nov. 3

Here is today’s roundup of Hurricane Sandy related news and cleanup efforts:

• According to multiple sources, President Barack Obama authorized disaster relief for Rhode Island today, following Chafee’s request on Friday afternoon.
• As of 6:51 p.m. Saturday, National Grid’s online outage map had only 44 outages left in the state. Of these, most are in Washington County, with 335 customers still affected. Most of these cases were expected to be cleared by midnight.
• The Providence Journal has produced a photo gallery of Roy Carpenter’s Beach in Matunuck. The South County Independent has also posted a photo gallery (login required).
• According to a report from WJAR 10, Narragansett police are conducting investigations into about nine burglaries committed of houses during the storm.
• From The Providence Journal, the shellfishing ban on Point Judith Pond was lifted at dawn Saturday.
• In a piece by Tim Faulkner of ecoRI, local experts argue that Sandy provides some evidence of the effects of climate change.
• Also from The Providence Journal, state officials will be in South Kingstown on Monday to help business owners handle the paperwork for any temporary layoffs needed because of Sandy.
• Forbes.com has an article with Rhode Island real estate agent Erin Diaz, who toured along the south coast surveying damage.
• The deadline for Coventry Police Department job applications has been extended to Nov. 9 because of the storm.
• The Aunt Carrie’s episode of the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives will re-air several times next week. Check it out 9 p.m. on Nov. 9, midnight on Nov. 10 or 4 p.m. on Nov. 10. (Or better yet, just set your DVR or *gasp* VCR right now.)
• And not Sandy-related, but you might have forgotten to do this because of the storm – Daylight Saving Time is this weekend.