3 days ago
Deadly tornado sweeps through Oneida County. Fundraiser created for family
The National Weather Service has confirmed an EF-1 tornado touched down in Clark Mills June 22 and killed three people.
The tornado touched down at 3:58 a.m. and traveled southwest for 2.43 miles.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Ben Lott said a severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Oneida County around 3:14 a.m., then, at 3:46 a.m. a second warning went out.
Finally, at 3:54 a.m., a tornado warning is pushed to the phones of everyone in the area around Clark Mills, urging people to take shelter and find safety.
Lott said the tornado was caused by a convective system — a cluster of thunderstorms that converge and become organized on a scale larger than the individual thunderstorms — that dropped in from the north.
'It dropped in very early in the morning and created a line of thunderstorms with very strong winds,' Lott said. 'Within that line, a tornado developed.'
Lott said current estimates indicate the tornado's wind speeds were around 105 mph. In the National Weather Service's report, 70 mph winds caused scattered tree damage along the line of thunderstorms.
The National Weather Service confirmed three people were killed — two children and one adult — when trees landed on their respective homes.
The Clinton Central School District confirmed the deaths of two elementary students. A GoFundMe page was created for the mother of Emily and Kenni Bisson.
A single mother, Kayleigh Bisson survived the tornado but lost her twin daughters, home and possessions due to the damage caused by the twister. As of 11:30 a.m. June 23, $216,875 has been raised.
"These girls were known throughout town," the GoFundMe read. "They were a part of softball, soccer, dance, gymnastics and so much more. They always kept everyone smiling and made people remember what life was all about. They walked through life smiling, dancing, and belly laughs that lasted for days."
Shelley Johnson, 50, died in a separate home in Clark Mills when a tree crashed through the roof of her house, the Oneida County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post. Her house — on Millstream Court — was not far from the residence where the Bisson family lived.
Fatality: Herkimer man dead after crash, police investigating
Almost a year ago, the city of Rome was hit by a tornado that left a visible scar through its skyline and fear in the hearts of its residents.
On June 22, Rome Mayor Jeffrey Lanigan put out a statement on Facebook in regards to this latest storm.
"As we woke up to the aftermath of yet another powerful storm, those memories are fresh again — and for some, painfully so," he said. Lanigan offered the city's sympathies to the people who lost their lives.
Neighborhood Revitalization: Cornhill Empowerment Center opens, first step of many to revitalization
When asked if summer tornadoes were going to be the new normal for the Mohawk Valley, Lott said there is no evidence to support that.
'This was a freak chain of events,' he said. 'There's no way to say the [Mohawk Valley] is going to be hit with a tornado every single year around the same time. There's no way to really say that's going to be the case. This storm just dropped in around the same time as Rome's tornado.'
As people start to clean up and repair, Lott said June 23-24 will be hot days for people working outside.
'We're looking at temperatures climbing into the 90s and a heat index higher than that,' he said. 'And we can't rule out some afternoon showers and thunderstorms [later this week].'
There's a chance of another storm June 25-26, but the worst of the heat is expected for June 23-24 with things cooling down after that.
(This story has been updated to add a photo.)
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Tornado kills twins, woman in Clark Mills: What we know
