New York Tornado Causes Widespread Damage

July 26th, 2012

On July 26, local media reports indicated a tornado touched down in Elmira, NY causing significant damage.

Please note, this area has not yet been declared a Presidential Disaster Area by FEMA.

The zip codes are 14901,14902,14903,14904,14905,14925.

Following is a report from the Elmira Star Gazette detailing the damage.

Elmira Tornado Causes Widespread Damage
Flooding, downed trees, power lines ravage city

A tornado accompanied by heavy rains ripped through Elmira and the surrounding area Thursday afternoon, knocking down trees and power lines, flooding streets and creating havoc for emergency personnel and city residents.

According to Chemung County emergency officials, the tornado touched down in Elmira around 4 p.m., about 30 minutes after the National Weather Service issued its first warning.

For the remainder of the afternoon and well into the evening, firefighters from several surrounding departments and city police hopscotched across the city, responding to all manner of storm-related incidents.

A state of emergency was declared in Elmira, which limited travel in the city to emergency vehicles, and people driving to and from work. Drivers were urged to use extreme caution. The city was also under an 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. curfew, and all residents were advised to stay in their homes.

From a staging area in the Weis Markets parking lot, at West Second and North Main streets in the city, firefighters from as far away as Savona and Bath were dispatched to all sections of Elmira. As the events continued into the evening, Tops Market on South Main Street was used as a second staging area for the city’s Southside.

The heavy winds brought down trees, some of which crashed into houses, fell onto parked vehicles, dragged down power lines and blocked streets.

On Madison Avenue, felled trees blocked both sides of the railroad viaduct near East Fifth Street.

On the city’s Southside, Maple Avenue was littered with tree limbs, branches and power lines. Anne VanHorn, of Home Street on Elmira’s Southside, found much of the same at her home.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do,” she said. “Last year, hail destroyed my roof and this year, I have trees down all over my backyard. The pool is ruined. I have insurance, but who knows what will be covered.”

High-speed winds cut a swath through much of Elmira’s Southside and Southport, leaving limbs, branches and huge broken trees in its wake. Barely a street was left untouched in some areas.

On Madison Avenue, felled trees blocked both sides of the railroad viaduct near East Fifth Street.

On the city’s Southside, Maple Avenue was littered with tree limbs, branches and power lines. Anne VanHorn, of Home Street on Elmira’s Southside, found much of the same at her home.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do,” she said. “Last year, hail destroyed my roof and this year, I have trees down all over my backyard. The pool is ruined. I have insurance, but who knows what will be covered.”

High-speed winds cut a swath through much of Elmira’s Southside and Southport, leaving limbs, branches and huge broken trees in its wake. Barely a street was left untouched in some areas.

Trees were pushed over at several homes in the 300 block of Morrowfield Avenue in Southport, and limbs were ripped off trees in a wooded area on the other side of the street. Firefighters and police blocked traffic from several streets on the Southside until large limbs could be removed, prompting detours throughout the area.

According to a police scanner report, all homes on Jay Street, a two-block-long street on the city’s Eastside, were damaged.
New York Electric & Gas Corp. reported that as of 8:30 p.m., 18,009 customers in Chemung County, 3,275 in Tioga County, 4,934 in Steuben County and 926 in Schuyler County were without power.

In Pennsylvania, the Troy Fair canceled all events for the evening because of wind damage. Several trees were toppled, fell into power lines and caused a loss of electricity in the lower meadow of the fairgrounds. The high winds also damaged several vendors’ tents.
“The storm damage could have been worse,” said Cathy Jenkins, Troy Fair president. “No people or animals were injured, and most of the damage can be corrected in short order.”

The Arnot Mall in Big Flats remained open, and one store employee said the mall was using backup power. Those inside were instructed to stay in the mall at the time the storm hit, and there was no visible physical damage at the mall or the surrounding areas.

However, power was limited at the end of the mall anchored by Bon Ton, and some stores were closed. The movie theater at the mall remained open Thursday night. Other stores and restaurants near the mall did not have power Thursday evening and also were closed.

With much of the storm-related damage in Elmira, emergency crews responded to reports of structure fires, people trapped in their homes by downed trees or natural gas odors.

Wires were reported down at several locations throughout the city, including Spaulding Street, West Water Street, and Elm and Gray streets on the city’s Westside. The Red Cross set up a shelter at Elmira Free Academy for individuals whose homes were damaged and felt unsafe staying in their homes.

Just before 10 p.m. Thursday, officials evacuated St. Joseph’s Apartments, a senior citizens complex, on the city’s Eastside. About 50 people were taken to EFA.

Meanwhile, all buildings in the Elmira City School District will be closed Friday so damage can be assessed. In addition, BOCES regional summer school for middle students at Elmira Free Academy are canceled Friday.


To view the online article, please click here.



About Safeguard
Safeguard Properties is the largest privately held field services company in the country. Located in Cleveland, Ohio and founded in 1990 by Robert Klein, Safeguard has grown from a regional preservation company with a few employees  and a handful of contractors performing services in the Midwest, to a national company with nearly 1,000 employees. Safeguard is supported by a nationwide network of subcontractors able to perform any requested superintendence, preservation, and maintenance functions, as well as numerous ancillary services in the U.S., the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.