The Day After: Dealing With the Aftermath of Tornadoes in Western New York
A small army of cleanup crews have descended on the Genesee County communities of Corfu and Darien and the western Monroe County village of Hilton to deal with the aftermath of two minor tornadoes that struck the area Saturday afternoon.
WIVB-TV Buffalo shows the destruction of a Genesee County greenhouse from a tornado that struck late Saturday afternoon in Corfu
Utility crews worked around the clock to restore services to those impacted by the weekend weather. More than twenty utility poles were snapped or toppled by the twister, and new poles were set in preparation for rewiring over the weekend. Arborists will face the most significant challenges — dealing with scores of uprooted and damaged trees in the immediate vicinity of the storm. Winds up to 100 miles per hour cut a swath 3.5 miles long in southern Genesee County. The Rochester suburb of Hilton got off much easier – a 3/4 mile long tornado hopped around the Hillside Drive neighborhood, causing significant damage to some property, but leaving nearby neighbors relatively unscathed.
Buffalo television stations stayed focused on the aftermath in Corfu and Darien, while Rochester television stations equally divided time between the impact closer to home in Hilton with the events in Genesee County. A good deal of analysis of the storm’s impact on individual residents and the history of tornadoes in our area is covered in several reports archived here for your convenience.
The videos begin below the break. Just click the …Continue Reading link below for access.
[flv width="480" height="360"]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/WIVB Buffalo Lead Story – Tornado Aftermath 7-26-09.flv[/flv]
WIVB-TV Buffalo kicks off the coverage with this lead story from their newscast Sunday night showing the aftermath of the storms in Genesee County.
[flv width="296" height="222"]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/WHAM Rochester – Tornado Damage and Cleanup in WNY 7-26-09.flv[/flv]
WHAM-TV in Rochester took a look at damage in both Genesee and Monroe Counties after Saturday’s events.
[flv width="360" height="240"]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/WROC Rochester – Corfu Copes With Damage 7-26-09.flv[/flv]
WROC-TV in Rochester shows a reporter spending the day with Corfu residents trying to pick up the pieces.
[flv]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/WHEC Rochester – Hillside Drive in Hilton Picking Up Pieces 7-26-09.flv[/flv]
Up in Hilton, WHEC-TV in Rochester sent a crew to capture residents forced to do brush clearing, and figuring out how to get some of their neighbors’ things off their roofs and out of their trees.
[flv width="360" height="240"]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/WROC Rochester – Damage in Hilton From Confirmed F0 Tornado 7-26-09.flv[/flv]
At first, weather officials were unclear whether a tornado had actually struck in Hilton, but the matter was settled soon enough after the telltale signs told the story. WROC-TV takes a look.
[flv width="480" height="360"]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/WIVB Buffalo Picking Up The Pieces After the Storm 7-26-09.flv[/flv]
In Corfu along Route 77, Brian Ross of Belleview Farm was happy his sheep survived the storm, but had a lot of cleanup to do as wind threw debris all over the place and ripped a barn right off its foundation. WIVB reports.
[flv]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/WHEC Rochester – Surveying Damage in Corfu 7-26-09.flv[/flv]
John Prysock’s family business was wiped out when the tornado devastated his greenhouse and barn in Corfu. WHEC-TV talked with Prysock and his neighbors.
[flv width="480" height="360"]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/WIVB Buffalo Images of the Tornado 7-26-09.flv[/flv]
WIVB-TV’s ‘Newstrackers’ began sending in images of the tornado in Genesee County almost immediately after the storm. Channel 4 reviews the contributions from viewers.
[flv width="480" height="360"]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/WIVB Buffalo Tornadoes Rare in WNY 7-26-09.flv[/flv]
An F0 or F1 tornado might barely warrant mention on a tornado alley television newscast, but tornadoes are so rare in western New York, any appearance of one is sure to lead the news. Just how uncommon are such storms in upstate New York? WIVB-TV answers.
