Oneida County declared a state of emergency Tuesday afternoon after a radar-confirmed tornado touched down in the city of Rome, according to the National Weather Service, causing "severe" damage throughout the city.
County Executive Anthony Picente said he also instituted a curfew for the city of Rome and surrounding areas from 8:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Wednesday.
“The city of Rome is the most damaged at this point, with the understanding that a tornado did strike," Picente said at a press briefing Tuesday evening.
Gov. Kathy Hochul later declared a statewide state of emergency due to the damage.
Picente said that structures damaged included county offices, city offices and courthouses, the latter of which will be closed for the time being and court services will be moved to Utica. The roof of St. Mary's Church was completely ripped off the building. Now there is a gigantic hole right over the pews where parishioners would normally sit for Mass.
Cars can be seen flipped over in some parking lots and the storm ripped right through the concrete roof at the Grand Union in Freedom Plaza.
The mighty B-52 bomber that sits at the former Griffiss Air Force Base was knocked off its pedestal.
Officials said there were no reports at this time of any serious injuries.
“We’re asking people to be patient and we’re asking people to stay out of the way of first responders," Picente said.
Picente said he and Rome Mayor Jeffrey Lanigan spoke with the governor and other officials on cleanup assistance.
In a statement, Mayor Jeffrey Lanigan advised residents to avoid unnecessary travel, treat all wires as if they are live and call 911 for emergency assistance.
Shelters for anyone who needs it is available at Griffiss, officials said.
The National Weather Service had issued tornado warnings Tuesday afternoon for parts of Oneida, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer counties.
Oneida County officials will provide another update Wednesday morning.
