Cleanup continues for families after tornado hits town of Eden

EDEN, N.Y. (WIVB) – Residents are continuing to pick up the pieces after a tornado tore through parts of Western New York Wednesday. One of the hardest-hit areas, where winds reached 115 mph in the EF-2 rated storm, was Eden.

The neighborhood took a direct hit and now, the Blasz family is trying to rebuild their home that was built 50 years ago.

Edward Blasz built his home in 1974. He spoke with News 4, recalling the moment the tornado ripped through the area leaving his house in shambles.

“I saw the heaviest rain I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been in monsoons before,” said Blasz. “There was all kinds of debris coming down. I said, ‘let’s go right now.'”

Blasz and his wife Rosemary made the decision to take cover in their home’s basement. That moment quickly turned into another nightmare.

“I got to the bottom, turned around and my wife wasn’t there. She had gone back for the dog,” said Blasz. “I screamed her name again, turned around, started running up the stairs and I heard this horrific noise.”

After the noise subsided, Blasz tells us he opened the door to find his wife standing there, looking up in shock. He also described seeing sunlight peeking into the room. He followed her gaze and realized his roof was gone.

Blasz is a Vietnam war veteran and a member of the East Eden Fire Department. He says since the tornado hit, so many community members have come to his and his family’s rescue. He also says his family has been working nonstop to help remove debris and clean up what they can from his property.

“Within an hour, there were 50 people here helping us carry stuff out of the house,” said Blasz. “From the big company owners to the people who drive by, it’s just been great.”

A GoFundMe has been created to benefit both Edward and Rosemary. The organizers say the money will go towards helping them rebuild and replace some of what was lost that day. If you’d like to donate, you can do so here.

Trina Catterson joined the News 4 team in 2024. She previously worked at WETM-TV in Elmira, a sister station of WIVB. See more of her work here .