Monday, 27 January 2025
Home Topics Infrastructure Buildings New York storm topples B-52 bomber, tears roof off church
BuildingsClimateInfrastructureNewsWeather

New York storm topples B-52 bomber, tears roof off church

75
A view of a damaged building in the aftermath of a storm in Rome, New York, U.S., July 16, 2024 in this still image obtained from social media video.  @_angels_brows via Instagram/via REUTERS
A view of a damaged building in the aftermath of a storm in Rome, New York, U.S., July 16, 2024 in this still image obtained from social media video. — @_angels_brows via Instagram/via REUTERS

NEW YORK — A storm powerful enough to knock a B-52 bomber off a platform and tear the roof off a 19th century church ripped through central New York state, killing a man who went outside to check on his antique car.

Governor Kathy Hochul on Wednesday surveyed the destruction from Tuesday’s storm and declared a state of emergency for the entire state, which remained in effect with damaging wind and heavy rain expected in many parts of New York on Wednesday night.

One of the hardest hit areas was the Mohawk Valley. A confirmed tornado rolled through the city of Rome, destroying four buildings and causing major structural damage to 22 other structures, said Hochul at a press conference in Rome. The storm was so powerful that it knocked a 185,000-pound (83,000-kg) B-52 bomber jet off its platform at the Griffiss Air Force Base, according to Hochul.

“You cannot imagine the impact of seeing from the sky how vast the destruction is. When you see entire swaths of trees just collapsed like they were toothpicks, and then houses – the roofs gone,” said Hochul.

She spoke in front of St. Mary’s Church, built in 1862 according to the church’s website, with much of its roof torn off by the storm.

At least three other reported tornadoes touched down in nearby Hamilton County and Warren County, according to NBC5 meteorologists. The National Weather Service has not yet confirmed them as tornadoes.

Robert Popple, 82, from the village of Canastota, west of Rome, was identified as the person who died during the storm. A neighbor reported that he went outside to check on his antique car when he was swept away, Hochul said.

Roughly 300,000 customers across New York State lost power during the height of the storm and 38,000 were still without electricity. Nearly half of those still without power are in Oneida County.

Hochul said that an unusual number of weather events have occurred in her three years as governor, including the current heat wave, recent flash flooding in Lewis County and a record-breaking 42 tornado warnings issued across New York last week, seven of which were confirmed.

She also warned New York residents to expect compromised air quality in the coming week due to Canadian wildfires, a reminder of last June’s wildfires that gave Syracuse and New York City the worst air quality in the world on some days.

“These extreme weather events are no longer the abnormal. They are the new normal,” she said.

(Reporting by Liya Cui; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

Related Articles

Rachel Reeves said Environmental Impact Assessments would be replaced by Environmental Outcome Reports (PA)
BuildingsConstructionEnvironmentInfrastructureRegulations

Environmental assessment system to be replaced amid development drive: UK’s Reeves

Environmental assessments for building homes and infrastructure will be replaced with a...

Volkswagen and other European carmakers have struggled with the switch to electric vehicles as they face rising competition from China (AFP)
AutomotiveBusinessElectric Vehicles (EVs)Regulations

Troubled European carmakers to talk fines and EVs with EU

The carmakers will converge on Brussels for talks this week as the...

FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a press conference following the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, November 28, 2024. Sputnik/Ramil Sitdikov/Kremlin via REUTERS/File Photo
OilPoliticsTrade

Putin says he and Trump should meet to discuss Ukraine and energy prices

Putin seeks a meeting with Trump to discuss Ukraine and energy, but...

FILE PHOTO: An L.A. Department of Water and Power electrical worker installs hardware to support power lines following the Palisades Fire, in Pacific Palisades, California, U.S., January 17, 2025. REUTERS/Fred Greaves/File Photo
AnalysisElectricityInfrastructurePolitics

Analysis: Trump’s high-wire act to transform US power grid won’t be easy

Trump’s push to fix the U.S. power grid’s transmission lines faces state...

Login into your Account

Please login to like, dislike or bookmark this article.