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According to a report issued three years ago by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Barrington would be at great risk if a major hurricane entered Narragansett Bay. The worst hurricane to hit our area in the 20th century occurred in 1938 when high winds and flooding caused over 200 deaths and extensive property damage throughout the state. The 1938 hurricane’s storm surge raised the water level over nineteen feet in the upper Narragansett Bay. The highest elevation in Barrington is approximately 60 feet above the level of mean high tide, but much of the town is less than 40 feet above this line. In 1938, much of Barrington was under water. Since that time, Barington has undergone extensive development and many homeowners do not realize that the location where their house is presently situated was severely flooded or cut off from the rest of the community in 1938. |