Travel Ban Ri Lifted at Noon as Rhode Island Moves From Emergency to Cleanup
CRANSTON, R. I. — Governor Dan McKee lifted the travel ban ri at noon Tuesday, shifting the state's priority from restricting movement to accelerating plowing, power restoration and support services after a historic blizzard. The move frees businesses to reopen while officials continue active recovery work across communities.
Travel Ban Ri Lifted at Noon
McKee made the decision to lift the ban at midday Tuesday after stating the ban would remain in place until conditions were safe. He framed the choice as being made "on multiple levels, but it's mainly on safety, " while also emphasizing the need to reopen businesses to keep the economy moving. He led a briefing on cleanup efforts and urged residents to stay off roads unless travel is absolutely necessary as plowing and clearing continue.
McKee's Rationale and State Safety Actions
McKee told residents that full recovery will take time but pledged continued work until the job is done. The governor had said Monday night he would not lift restrictions until it was safe; that precaution guided the timing of the noon rescission. What makes this notable is the explicit balancing of safety concerns with the economic imperative to allow commerce to resume, a dual rationale McKee cited in explaining his decision.
Rhode Island State Police Response
Rhode Island State Police logged their operational toll from the storm: 269 disabled or stuck vehicles and 20 crashes during the blizzard. Officers issued more than 40 tickets to people who violated the travel restrictions. Meanwhile, E-911 handled 5, 469 calls during the storm, reflecting sustained demand on emergency services.
National Guard, Maj. Gen. Andrew Chevalier and Mutual Aid
McKee activated the National Guard to assist with cleanup operations. Maj. Gen. Andrew Chevalier, the adjutant general, said Guard personnel checked on warming centers and inspected disabled vehicles across communities to ensure no one remained inside. The state also requested mutual aid from other states for heavy equipment, specifically payloaders, heavy-duty plows and backhoes, to aid snow removal.
Rhode Island Energy Restoration Timeline and Outages
Rhode Island Energy deployed more than 400 crews and some 1, 400 personnel to assess damage, clear debris and restore power. Officials warned restoration could take up to 72 hours or longer in some areas. Greg Cornett of Rhode Island Energy described the effort as "painstaking and challenging" because of deep snow, ice and cold temperatures.
Cornett said the utility expected to reduce outages to below 10, 000 by the end of Tuesday and anticipated that more than 95% of customers would have power restored by Thursday. At 2: 45 p. m. Tuesday, Rhode Island Energy reported roughly 8, 900 homes and businesses without power. The company will update estimated restoration times on its outage map as crews make progress.
Housing Needs and Ongoing Recovery in Cranston
The governor directed people with shelter or housing needs to contact the Executive Office of Housing website for assistance. As cleanup continues and utilities work to restore service, officials maintained that residents should limit travel unless necessary to allow crews to work safely and to reduce additional strain on emergency responders.
The immediate cause—the historic blizzard—produced wide-ranging impacts that drove each official action: hazardous road conditions prompted the travel ban and numerous emergency calls; that ban and heavy snow compelled the activation of the National Guard and the request for mutual aid; and widespread outages forced a multi-day restoration plan from Rhode Island Energy. The state’s next 72 hours will focus on clearing equipment-choked roadways, restoring power and checking on vulnerable residents as recovery progresses.
