Services expand south of Rome as city regains momentum

The New York community hardest hit by this week’s heavy rains was the town of Rome in central New York state, where a confirmed tornado with winds of more than 130 mph caused damage.

Authorities said Thursday that the disaster response team was completing its damage assessment, while National Grid said power had been restored to more than 100,000 customers in eastern New York, including parts of the greater capital region, which was also hit by severe weather.

Much progress has been made in Rome since Tuesday, according to Mayor Jeff Lannigan, who said 71 percent of power has been restored by National Grid.

“We have a QR code that people can scan that will give them the most accurate locations of power outages that still exist in the city of Rome,” Lanigan said.

Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente announced that the state’s mobile insurance unit is now available at Freedom Plaza from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“This unit was created by the state of New York. It helps residents affected by the storm fill out the necessary insurance paperwork,” Picente said. “It’s really a great unit.”

With South Rome deeply affected, Lanigan announced the expansion of services at the South Rome Senior Center.

“There are people here who still can’t leave their homes, who don’t have access to food, water, hygiene products, etc.,” said Amanda Mills, with the City of Rome’s Department of Economic and Community Development. “It was important for us to do something on this side of town so we can be there for the people who need it most.”

“We know we need to do something for at least the next couple of days, but we know it’s going to take time,” said Cassandra Sheets, CEO of the Center for Family Life and Recovery. “Because until the power is back on, it’s hard for people to get good meals. So that’s what we’re really working on.”

A curfew is still in effect from 8:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. in affected areas. Officials are directing people to county and city websites to track affected areas on a map.