Major thunderstorms ripped through Rome Tuesday afternoon, wreaking havoc on the downtown area, destroying historic buildings and landmarks, leaving more than 15,000 people without power, and forever changing Rome’s skyline.
Though there is no official word yet, many officials believe much of the damage was done by a tornado that formed during the storm. The National Weather Service is expected to make a determination on the matter Wednesday.
State, county, and local officials organized a command center at the terminal building on Griffis Airforce Base coordinated efforts and held a press conference Tuesday night after Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. declared a state of emergency for Oneida County.
“The city of Rome is the most damaged at this point,” Picente said. “The good news is that we currently don’t have any reports of serious injuries.”
Trees and powerlines are down throughout the city of Rome and buildings have received major damage, with damage still being recorded and reported.
Rome institutes curfew, turns efforts to cleanup
Cleanup efforts are underway to remove trees and debris to restore power as quickly as possible.
Picente said that due to the levels of damage, there is a possibility that it could be a “...multi-day affair” to restore power. Local residents are advised to avoid any downed wires as they are live.
“We are also instituting a curfew in the city of Rome and surrounding areas,” Picente added. “We need to ensure people are off the streets. The curfew will be from 8:30 p.m. 5:30 a.m. That will give us time for crews to get through.” According to the emergency order, the curfew is to last for five days unless earlier rescinded or renewed.
Picente pleaded with people to stay out of the way of first responders, National Grid, and work crews as they come through neighborhoods.
Due to damages to or around city and county offices and courthouses, these buildings will be closed, and all services will be moved to Utica.
Rome Mayor Jeffrey Lanigan said this catastrophic event is unprecedented in the city and encouraged any Rome citizens who need assistance to call 211 or use the 211 App for assistance.
On top of this, a shelter is being set up on 394 Hangar Road in the Griffiss Business and Technology Park. It is operated by the Red Cross for those who need it.
For those who need a ride, St. John’s Church on East Dominic Street will have a bus service to transport people. The shelter is also pet-friendly.
“We’re going to be there for as long as we need to be until we get things running,” Lanigan said. “We know power’s out and the last report we had was 30,000 outages in Oneida County. If you have an emergency, call 911. If you have a question, reach out to 211, and they can point you in the right direction.”
As of Tuesday night, there were reports of over 11,000 power outages in Rome.
Lanigan asked residents to “...stay positive.”
“Romans are resilient. And we’re going to build back,” he said. “Give us the time and space we need right now and let our guys work, and I promise you Rome will come back even better.”
"... Like a freight train"
Two Rome residents were among those who witnessed the storm in full — Laura and Phil Trela.
“The storm blew in and it started raining very hard and we’ve never seen it rain like that,” they said. It was then that gusts of wind picked up and phones went off, urging everyone in the area to get into their basements.
The couple rushed into the house’s basement and heard a loud roar and event felt a huge amount of pressure, describing it “...like a freight train.”
There were crashing sounds and damage to the house, losing parts of the roof.
And as quickly as it started, it stopped.
“And then it was done. Just like that,” they said.
Steeple of First Presbyterian Church topples
The storm brought down one of the oldest and tallest buildings in Rome.
The First Presbyterian Church of Rome was erected in 1852 for $18,000.
According to the church's website, it was designed by O. Wheelock of Watertown. When the Civil War broke out, its pastor, William Knox went with the Christian Commission to minister to Union troops.
On Tuesday, July 16, at around 5 p.m., two congregants surveyed the damage where the steeple crashed through the roof and into the nave.
Raymond Tucker and Mark Chico Capparelli arrived shortly after the Rome Fire Department.
The entire roof collapsed when the steeple fell and posed a serious risk. The Rome Fire Department had arrived to turn off the gas and electricity.
Tucker and Capparelli were on their way to the church for a meeting when the tornado came through.
“It came right through and stopped at the church,” Tucker said.
Tucker pointed toward West Embargo Street and added that the area looked “completely destroyed.”
And the church was no better. Once standing at 169 feet tall, the church steeple looked like somebody had snapped it off.
Dust from the insulation coated the pews.
“It's the oldest church building in Rome,” Tucker said. “In the 1850s, it had a congregation of 600.”
That number has dwindled to 100 in recent years.
Capparelli said their next step is to contact the insurance company.
“We're going to rebuild. We have to,” Tucker said firmly. “It's our church.”
Rome Health activates emergency management plan
With the state of emergency declared, Rome Health activated its emergency management plan to care for the community, according to its chief operating officer.
“The demand for emergency and acute care services has exceeded standard operating capacity. We are responding with a plan to safely care for all patients here and presenting to us,” COO Ryan Thompson said in a statement.
The Goldberg's Building and Community Recovery Center on Dominick Street were both severely impacted by the storm. The Plant Operations team is currently assessing the impact to both buildings.
Rome Health’s Prenatal Care Clinic is located in the Goldberg’s Building at 155 W. Dominick St. As a result of the storm damage, the clinic is closed Wednesday.
Patients will be contacted to reschedule their appointment.
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Major storm, possible tornado, leaves Rome tattered; thousands left without power
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