SOUTH OTSELIC – The hamlet of South Otselic was hit by severe winds that toppled trees, tore off roofs and caused severe damage to a number of homes Saturday night.
The Chenango County Emergency Management Office and the Otselic Valley Fire Department responded to the storm’s aftermath, which caused severe damage to at least three buildings and moderate damage to another seven homes.
Emergency Management Officer A. Jones reported Monday that no one was injured in the storm that began around 8:50 p.m. Saturday. Jones said officials suspected a sudden violent burst of high elevation wind called a “microburst” was responsible for the damage.
“All the trees and debris were lying down in the same direction, which would indicate strong straight line winds as a probable cause,” said Jones, adding that no funnel clouds were reported in the area by the National Weather Service.
Jones also pointed out that normally damage from a microburst was confined to one to two mile area and that the most significant damage in Otselic was within those parameters, covering about a half-mile stretch.
Jones said two homes suffered extensive damage, including a bed and breakfast, Broad Lawns B&B, located just south of the local firehouse on State Highway 26 which had a large tree crash through its roof and attic.
Carl and Sarah Hite own the Broad Lawns B&B, one of the homes hardest hit, just as it was 99 years ago. In 1911, the local landmark was targeted by what was then referred to as a “cyclone.” Carl said that the earlier storm knocked down two chimneys and did a lot of damage. A history buff, he has several photos taken at the time. Part of one of the chimneys brought down by that storm, he said, is still lying in the attic. “And now my new chimney is lying right beside it.”
Carl said he and his wife were on the ground floor when the sky turned odd colors – yellow, and green and then red – and then it began to rain hard and the wind came up. They heard a noise. “It didn’t even seem all that loud,” Carl said. “We thought a limb had come down.” They looked out the window and saw that the giant American Elm tree on their lawn had toppled and was resting on their roof.
The structure was later condemned by the Chenango County Code Enforcement Office, said Jones.
There was visible damage to the home’s interior, cracks in the walls, and inspectors will need to determine what else may be wrong before the family is allowed back inside, explained Carl.
He said neighbors had offered their guest rooms, their showers, their food, and their help.
Another home on Rt. 26 located in the northern part of the hamlet near Clarence Church Road had most of its front porch torn off and a tree fall onto the roof. Jones said although the damage was significant, the home did not suffer serious structural damage and was not condemned.
However, the Cox Block Building where the Chenango County Sheriff’s Substation and the Otselic Store are located had its roof torn off and was condemned. Jones said a large portion of the building’s roof was found a distance away, caught in the limbs of a large tree.
The Otselic Valley area was under a severe thunder storm warning at the time of the incident and Jones estimated the worst part of the storm only lasted a few minutes.
Carlton and Normajean Stark were sitting on their deck around 9 Saturday night, when the sky turned yellow, and then it turned red. Everything seemed oddly calm. Then the sky opened up and rain pounded down. Next came the winds, fierce, wild, noisy winds. “I saw a maple tree branch go by me on the left,” Carlton said, recalling the experience. “Then, what looked like the same branch going down my driveway, on the other side.” The branch, Carlton said, appeared to have circled the house.
He said the freakish storm, which lasted only minutes, appeared to happen in two stages. After the tree limb passed, everything went still again, giving him time to order his family indoors. But even as he followed them inside, Carlton felt the wind return, hitting him in the back just as he went in and slamming his door behind him.
Otselic resident Marie Wilbur was sitting in her living room with the window open, when she heard the wind, which sounded like ... “well, like a freight train.” She said the sky turned yellow, and she immediately closed the window. Minutes later, there was a tree lying across the roof of her home. It crushed her porch railing, and appears to have damaged the roof and gutters and more. But it missed her son’s car, which was only feet from the tree.
Evening Sun columnist Maggie Shayne contributed to this report.