Tornados are a rarity in New York, but when they appear, they can be vicious.
Upstate New York’s Rome learned this when a tornado hit the ground on July 16th. Peak winds were recorded at 135 mph and the storm’s path was over 5 miles long. According to AP news, the tornado “had an EF2 rating…“significant”…on the Enhanced Fujita scale, which rates tornadoes based on estimated wind speed and damage.”
For context, the State Weather Risk Communications Center director at the University at Albany, Nick Bassill, said “Only about one in six tornadoes in New York are EF2 or greater”. This tornado was among 10 in the state that day.
Rooftops were torn off, brick buildings were leveled and the steeples of two historic churches were toppled, AP News says.
Over 370 homes were damaged and debris is everywhere throughout the downtown and neighboring areas. Thankfully, there have been no fatalities. The tornado has affected many, including landlord Richard Secor and Scotty’s Hot Dogs owner Scott Smith.
One area, where Secor owns five homes, was hit especially hard. According to what Secor told news sources, “four of the five homes…will likely have to be demolished”
Meanwhile, Mr. Smith’s storage space has collapsed and his 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme has been crushed.
Recovering from such a devastating event will be costly in multiple ways. Financially speaking, Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente estimates that $25 million will go toward demolishing uninhabitable, unsound structures, AP News says.
There will also be a toll emotionally speaking. Some older buildings, including the previously mentioned churches, St. Mary’s and First Presbyterian, will have to be taken down.
Despite the tragedy, many citizens are looking towards the future and, as neighborhoods do, Rome has come together to face this adversity.
Her dance studio unsafe after the storm, Allison Graves has “been offered by some local studios some space if I want to go in and use their studio” she told AP News. Meanwhile, the First Presbyterian church held services in a neighboring church.
Mayor Lanigan is confident that the city will be able to overcome this. Quoting an age-old saying, he said:
“Rome wasn’t built in a day…This is definitely going to take a little bit of time…a whole lot of effort”.
It can be hard to stay positive, to any extent, after a tragedy. But those in Rome who are ready and willing to help are just what the town needs now.
