![IMG_0583 First Presbyterian Church](https://nccnews.newhouse.syr.edu/wp-content/uploads/IMG_0583_1280x720_acf_cropped.jpeg)
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.