Severe storm damage on Prospect Road in Forestville, New York . Image by Justin Gould / Media Information Officer
A tornado damaged several homes in northern Chautauqua County on Wednesday afternoon.
County Executive PJ Wendel described the event in the Forestville area as “tornadic activity,” “There are some definite paths, some significant damage to homes. A lot of large trees down, roofs ripped off homes primarily in this area (Forestville) and in the Prospect Road area. We were over to another house on Henry Road that had significant damage as well.”
The National Weather Service has determined that an EF-1 tornado with an estimated peak wind of 110 mph began in the Town of Arkwright at 12:06 p.m. and ended in the Town of Hanover at 12:14 p.m. The path length was three miles and the width was 150 yards.
Forestville Fire Department Chief Kyle Barthel reported that at 12:22 p.m. on Wednesday, his department responded to reports of downed trees in the Town of Arkwright, “From there it had a snowball effect with everybody started calling 911 for multiple trees down with power lines.”
Barthel said there was a motorist who was injured when their car hit a tree in the road on Route 39. He said they were transported to a local hospital for treatment. Barthel said another resident on Prospect Road sustained minor injuries but declined medical attention.
In addition to several local fire departments and the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office; the Department of Environmental Conservation assisted in cleanup and observation efforts, deploying a drone to survey the damage and determine the storm’s exact path.
County Emergency Services Director Noel Guttman encouraged county residents to download the Chautauqua County Emergency Service’s app that’s available in Apple Store and Google Play.
Residents can use the “Damage / Safety Report” feature to submit reports directly to the County Office of Emergency Services. Guttman said that information will help the department in efforts to secure recovery funds.
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