PHARSALIA – Officials are investigating reports of a tornado in the Pharsalia area after a mobile home, three barns and wide swaths of forest were knocked down during an early Thursday storm.
“We saw very typical signs of a possible super cell storm, with multiple tornadoes or tornado activity, but the only people that can determine that are the meteorologists. I’m no expert to say it was a tornado, but it appears it was,” said Chenango County Emergency Management Director Matt Beckwith after touring some of the damage yesterday.
An path of destruction more than a 100 yards wide knocked down an area of dense pine located in the New Michigan State Forest in Pharsalia. The trail of toppled trees is clearly visible by motorists traveling along North Road, and the damage etched its way across the landscape for more than a mile and a half, also crossing Fred Stewart Road and Center Road.
Center Road residents Howard and Laura Price saw a two-story barn and a guest trailer near their house completely destroyed by the storm.
“Well very simply put, at about 3:15 to 3:20 a.m. this morning a sound like a freight train shook the house. We heard all types of sounds, explosions, breaking boards and things slamming into the house,” said Howard.
The couple fled to their basement and when they emerged, they found their property unrecognizable.
The mobile home, occasionally used by visiting guests, was in use at the time, but the friend staying there had spent the night out. The home’s metal frame sat several yards from a pile of debris, parts of which resembled a roof and other pieces were scatted over several acres of a nearby field. A 100-year-old, two-story storage barn across the street from the Price’s home was reduced to timbers and the building’s roof was lying on the opposite side of the house.
“How it got there I have no idea, but I’m guessing the tornado just tossed it up into the air and over the house,” said Howard.
Howard, a 64-year-old retired Department of Corrections Officer, contends the storm was a twister, the fourth he’s said to have seen evidence of in the area since moving here 21 years ago.
The couple’s vehicles were also shoved out of place and had a number of windows broken in them and the house’s siding was stripped off. A trail of toppled trees could be seen leading to and away from the property.
Beckwith reported at least one other barn along County Rt. 7 in Pharsalia was also completely destroyed by Thursday’s weather and another unconfirmed report claimed there was a third barn destroyed along Center Road.
A travel advisory warning remains in effect for Chenango County. “There are a lot of roads out there that still need a lot of repair. People need to use caution when driving,” said Beckwith.
North Pharsalia residents Greg and Denise Ashton told a similar story as the Prices. The Ashtons said were inside their home at about 4:15 a.m. when they were forced to take shelter in their basement.
The couple also believe a tornado swept past their home at 2456 State Highway 23. Dozens of trees were knocked down in the immediate area, including a number which struck and damaged the home.
“It went really fast. We heard loud thunder and then this noise, like the sound of the ocean sweeping toward you, a surge. I look out the window and it looked really bad and I told my wife we needed to get in the basement now,” said Greg.
“People say it sounds like a freight train coming at you and that’s what we heard. Just a roaring noise over everything,” added Denise.
Beckwith said representatives from the National Weather Service decided to visit Pharsalia this morning after he contacted them Thursday and relayed his observations of the damage. He said the officials could determine the cause of the damage and the strength of any tornado or tornadoes. He said preliminary findings could be released later today.