Rome declares state of emergency following strong thunderstorms. What to know

The Rome Police Department has declared a state of emergency following Tuesday afternoon's storms.

Multiple media outlets are reporting a tornado touched down near the city, though nothing has yet been confirmed by the National Weather Service.

The Rome Police Department is reporting multiple closed streets and building collapses.

In a Facebook post, the Rome Police Department said to avoid an unnecessary travel.

Winds strong enough to rip off roofs and flip cars were reported.

Power outages

National Grid's Outage Map is reporting 11,350 outages and counting out of a total of 15,210 customers in the Rome area alone, with more people affected in surrounding areas. National Grid is estimating more than 50,000 people are currently without power.

Hochul pledges help

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she had spoken by phone with Rome Mayor Jeff Lanigan and Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr., according to a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Hochul has pledged the full support of the state to help the community following the storms an "an expected tornado."

2-1-1

The United Way of the Mohawk Valley Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director Susan Litera stated that 211 operators are ready and available to take calls to help victims of the tornado that touched down today in Rome.

“Calling 211, texting 898-211 or visiting www.211midyork.org can help residents quickly find resources to help deal with any crisis situation caused by today’s tornado. We urge Rome area residents to contact 211 for non-emergency, stated Litera, in a statement.

2-1-1 contact centers are staffed by trained specialists who quickly assess the callers’ needs and refer them to the help they need. 2-1-1 services are free, confidential, and accessible to everyone through multilingual capabilities. Information is also available online through comprehensive regional databases of government and nonprofit services.

This is an ongoing story and will be updated.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Rome declares state of emergency following strong thunderstorms. What to know