As Providence wrings itself out, more flooding Wednesday, and Hurricane Lee, loom

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley is caught in a Sisyphean task. As the city sops up the floodwaters that engulfed cars and businesses on Monday night, another flood watch has already been issued for Wednesday, not to mention the potential for Hurricane Lee this coming weekend.

"Recent rainstorms are an example of the extreme weather that we're starting to see more frequently," he told reporters on Tuesday during a clearing between the washouts. "And even the most robust sewer system can’t handle as much rain as we've been receiving in recent storms in such a short period of time."

Smiley staged his press conference on Branch Avenue, near a shopping complex that suffered extensive damage. Mud caked the parking lot and the smell of river muck hung in the air.

The West River, which runs between Wanskuck Mills and a self-storage complex behind the Branch Avenue Plaza, burst its banks after torrential rain Monday, and as of Tuesday morning, was still running very high.

Windows of the CitiTrends store were broken, a brick wall had been pushed out and ceiling panels were hanging down.

The high water line was seen about halfway up the chain-link fence on the perimeter. At Urban Wine & Spirits, remediation workers were pushing water out the front door with brooms.

Local recounts harrowing apartment flood

Across the street at Wanskuck Mills, Marcus Dudley was taking a breather from surveying his flooded apartment on the first floor. Dudley and his dog, a German shepherd, were taken in by another tenant on Monday night.

Dudley said he received the emergency alerts on his phone, but he didn’t think too much of them as he received the warnings on Sunday night as well and there was no flooding then. He was in his apartment when he heard gurgling coming from the pipes in the shower and the kitchen sink.

"I started getting nervous," he said.

Then water started flowing from under his front door and his dog jumped on the couch.

"Next thing I know, water is covering the entire floor," he said.

About 20 minutes later, as he tried to gather what he could save, the water was ankle deep. Dudley and his dog went to an apartment on the second floor, after being invited up by his neighbor to weather the storm.

He said he is lucky, as the damage isn’t that bad, but his renter’s insurance lapsed and he will need to replace a few thousand dollars worth of furniture.

Dudley said he lived in the area as a child and the West River never flooded like that before. At most, water would come up to the curb on the street.

"There’s not a lot of sewer drains," he said. "We have all that water coming down from the hill. The water had nowhere to go."

Smiley said 30 people were assisted in moving to higher ground to escape the flood waters, particularly around Branch Avenue.

More: 'The walls were imploding': Cranston apartment complex 'uninhabitable' after weekend floods

A flood on Wednesday, followed by Hurricane Lee, could leave Providence a mess

While the city recovers from the latest flooding, it's expected to see one-to-four inches of rain on Wednesday. In preparation, storm drains are being cleared. Smiley urged residents to call 311, the city services number, if their drains are in need of clearing.

Making matters worse is Hurricane Lee, which Smiley said he's "following closely" as it churns closer to the U.S., risking an impact to New England. The mayor said it's too early to tell what will happen, but said the city "has trained for years on hurricanes" and is "as prepared as we can be."

"The state of our groundwater, our reservoirs, our rivers and streams has the potential to increase the damage or outcome of even the mildest hurricane that we might experience," he cautioned.

More: More rain and flooding likely ahead of potential impact of Hurricane Lee

Climate change fueling more regular heavy rains in Providence

Since 1905, the average number of days per year in the Providence area with more than 1 inch of rain has increased from eight to 14, according to the Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University. Last year, there were 12 such days. This year, there have been 10 so far.

The highest daily precipitation totals are also on the rise, increasing from 2.5 inches on average to 3.1 inches, according to the Cornell center.

“Both of these findings correspond to what we are seeing and expect to see continue in the Northeast due to climate change,” said Jessica Spaccio, climatologist at the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Science at Cornell. “Extreme precipitation is increasing both in frequency and intensity.”

With reporting from Journal writer Alex Kuffner.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence flooding closes businesses, flood watch up for Wednesday