Reporter: Sounds of sirens wail throughout downtown Rome, but walking the streets, you can also hear the sizzle of a grill cooking up hot dogs and hamburgers.
Utica native Roger Joseph has family in Rome and took off work to drive to the area and cook for anyone great just to help people.
Roger Joseph: “It’s just great to help people, honestly.”
Reporter: The Oneida County city was hit by an EF2 tornado Tuesday afternoon, destroying parts of the downtown area in response, friendly faces like Joseph and other organizations are finding ways to support a community still in shock.
Samantha Jones, a member of Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency, set up a stand with water, socks and teddy bears.
Samantha Jones: “We come together as a community. Agencies come together. It’s no one agency, you know, shining the light on themselves in situations like this.”
Reporter: The goal of everyone’s efforts is to bring smiles back to Rome. From Rome, Madison Hricik, NCC News.
ROME, N.Y. (NCC News) — First Presbyterian Church, one of the oldest buildings in Rome, is destroyed. Power lines have been snapped, now lying in the middle of the street. State route 365 is closed, rerouting drivers trying to cross the Erie Canal.
Downtown Rome residents are trying to put the pieces back of the town, and themselves, back together.
The city was hit with thunderstorms and a tornado around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. Oneida County declared a state of emergency because of the immediate damage.
“It kind of hit at the same time the warnings were going up,” said Samantha Jones, a member of the Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency.
Roughly 80% of impacted roads in Rome have reopened, Oneida County said in a social media update on Thursday.
“This is the worst event to hit the city of Rome,” Hochul said in a New York Times article on Wednesday.
An estimated 13,200 were without power, but the county said about 71% of residents have had power restored Thursday.
