EDEN, N.Y. — The cleanup continues after Wednesday’s storms left a path of destruction through portions of Western New York.
Parts of the Town of Eden saw some of the worst damage across the region as winds reaching heights of roughly 115 mph tore through the region. A home on Sisson Highway nearly a total loss after being hit by an EF-2 tornado.
“There's at least eight homes that were condemned. I'm assuming that at least half of them will have to be rebuilt,” Richard Ventry, the Eden town supervisor, told 2 On Your Side.
Ventry says even though cleanup is well underway, it’s still too early to determine the full scope of the damage. He says that the damage done to property in Eden could be worth millions.
Surveyors from the National Weather Service’s Buffalo office toured the damage over the past couple of days. Dave Thomas, who has been at the National Weather Service of Buffalo for about 18 years, says Wednesday’s storms were nothing short of historic.
“The previous record for number of tornado warnings issued over an entire year was 14, and that was back in 1998. On Wednesday we issued 18,” Thomas said.
Thomas says that conditions caused by Hurricane Beryl made for the perfect storm.
“It was just the right set up with Beryl going across our region,” Thomas said.
While the storms have passed, one thing’s certain: It’s going to take more than screws and nails to recover from the damage done by Wednesday’s storms.
“As far as the economic impact that this is going to have, it’s going to be rather large,” Ventry said.
Resident’s in Eden are devastated and still reeling from the damage done to their homes and their farms. Ventry urges those who are still in need of aid or assistance are urged to reach out to the town immediately.