One day after tornado strikes, Rome residents clean up in solidarity as state assists

Emergency sirens, generators, and chainsaws echoed through the city of Rome on Wednesday as residents and first responders worked to clean up the city as best they could after a catastrophic tornado touched down the day prior.

The National Weather Service on Wednesday afternoon said the tornado survey in Rome is on-going, but the survey team has so far found damage consistent with an EF2 rating, with estimated wind speeds of up to 135 mph.

Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency across the state after the storm and visited the city of Rome.

“I can only describe this as a tragic day here in Oneida County in the city of Rome,” she said. “As I was landing, coming in from New York City, you can’t imagine the impact until you see it from the sky and how vast the destruction is. You see entire swaths of trees collapsed like toothpicks, houses with roofs gone, and churches that have been here since the 1800s collapsed.”

Hochul said that it was miraculous that there was no loss of life in the city of Rome.

Damage is still being calculated and assessed, but as of Wednesday morning, there are 22 buildings with structural damage, four buildings destroyed, the seventh floor of the Georgian Tower collapsed, and the building next to the office of mental health is no longer safe.

“This is a community built on resilience and toughness,” she said. “It has a can-do spirit, found in many [business owners and residents] who promised to rebuild.”

'I'm hopeful'

Sharon Samuels immigrated to the United States from Jamica 13 years ago with her father and two sons. For the last 13 years, their family has called Rome home.

And all that changed when the storm hit.

Part of the roof had blown off their home and a once beautiful tree had been knocked down like a bowling pin, crashing into the house.

“I wasn’t at home when the storm hit,” she said. “Someone called me and said ‘…a tornado hit your house.’ I didn’t want to see the damage.”

Early Wednesday morning, the family got to work.

Samuels set up a generator so the house could have power. And recently, Samuels said a city employee had looked at their home and declared it unsafe.

“He took one look and said that no one could live there,” she said. “And I said I wasn’t leaving. We have to start rebuilding somewhere.”

Samuels is hopeful and has been trying to get ahold of her insurance provider, but “…the lines are all busy.”

And, while some people are going around neighborhoods just to take pictures and video, Samuels was happy to say there was one good Samaritan who stopped and gave the family doughnuts.

What happened: Major storm, possible tornado, leaves Rome tattered; thousands left without power

How to help: Community Foundation establishes fund to aid Rome in aftermath of tornado

When asked what comes next, Samuels said they’ll more than likely fire up the grill for dinner.

“I’m not leaving,” she said. “I’m hopeful, as long as the insurance company doesn’t give me the runaround. But we’re going to rebuild. We’re not going anywhere, we’re staying right here.”

We're still here

Just a few blocks away from city hall, the superofficial café was one of the few lucky businesses and buildings who got away with only minor damage.

Owner Jon Matwijec-Walda said it was his day off, but he lives on the east side of Rome.

“I got a phone call from [the employees] and I had to hunker down in the basement,” he said. “Once it felt fairly safe, I headed over to the café and the staff were all in the basement. The windows had blown out in the front, on the right side. But luckily, everyone was unharmed.”

Matwijec-Walda said he and his employees were worried about the marquee and Rome Cinema. “The building across the street had already fallen,” he said.

But, Matwijec-Walda said he was hopeful and confident in a repair and reopen as soon as possible. He recounted a story that happened six months ago.

Somebody had walked by the superofficial and had seen the pride flag hanging up. “They said they were praying for our failure and that we wouldn’t be here in the next six months,” he said. “And as we were sweeping up glass, he walked by. And I told him we were still here.”

Matwijec-Walda said he felt fortunate to have members of the community come out to help the superofficial and wants to return the favor as soon as favor.

“That’s what we do,” he said. “This block has a lot of damage and we have a lot of friends and partners on the block whose futures are a lot less certain than ours. We’re in a good spot to reopen when we get electricity and we’re talking on how we could support everything down here.”

Tense Times

Hochul said the state is committed to doing whatever it takes to rebuild services and the community.

“In a moment of crisis, New Yorkers always unite and come together,” she said. “And I hate to break the news, but it’s not over yet.”

Hochul said the weather conditions that created the storm in Rome are still hanging over New York and another thunderstorm is predicted for Wednesday night.

The National Guard has been deployed in the city of Rome to help with storm response and Hochul has spoken with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Kristen Gillibrand. Both have committed whatever support is needed and a tally of the scale of damage is being recorded for FEMA.

If $37 million in damages is calculated, a declaration of disaster will be issued.

“The White House is aware and Washington is ready to assist," Hochul said.

There's hope for Rome is on the horizon, and the city is confident in cleanup. Though the storm destroyed a major part of its parade path,.

Rome Mayor Jeffery Lanigan said Honor America Days are still on and scheduled for Saturday, July 27.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Rome, NY tornado damage: Residents begin cleanup with state help