HELP: Water, Food and Baby Wipe Donations Needed After Possible Westernville Tornado

A possible tornado hit and devastated Westernville. The volunteer fire department is doing its best they can to pick up the pieces in the community. They're asking for help with supplies like food and water so they can continue to assist others.

UPDATE 7/9/21 11:30PM: NWS confirms an EF1 tornado with estimated wind speeds of 105 MPH in Westernville.

UPDATE 7/9/21 11 AM: Paper plates, paper towels Ice, and coolers are needed. For those who can lend and cooler, please make sure your name and phone number is on it so it can be returned.

The community has just received word that there will be no power for at least 2 days. Water and ice are desperately needed.

Piper Reese posted that the Volunteer Fire Company of Western, Inc. continues the cleanup today and asks if anyone can donate food, water, Gatorade, or baby wipes and to please bring them to the Western Volunteer Fire Department at 9305 Rt. 46 in Westernville.

Reese also says the volunteers are in for a long hard day today and probably all weekend:

Calls are still coming into the fire dar department. The town is destroyed as the damage hit the heart of Main St. If anyone can donate food, water or baby wipes etc. I have a feeling the power is going to be out longer. Our fire department worked through the night, took a break for a few hours, and is back at clean-up again this morning to try to get these roads reopened. Unfortunately, there are so many downed poles and power lines this is not going to be a quick cleanup. Contact Gary Reese or Me if you can help out with a donation to the fire department. These guys are working hard in the heat and rain. Most of us have wells and with no power means no water for showers. Thanks, everyone. The American Red Cross is already involved in assisting the community members with their needs also.

The National Weather Service office in Binghamton, NY will be out in the area today to conduct a storm survey to see if the severe thunderstorms that moved through the area on 7/8/21 contained a tornado. Survey results are expected to be completed and passed along to the public tonight (7/9/21).

The Oneida County Sheriff's Office closed Route 46 other roads due to extensive damage from the storm.

A few weeks ago, the National Weather Service in Binghamton confirmed an EF-1 tornado in Dryden, New York, on Monday, June 21. It touched down in Yellow Barn State Forest at 5:38 PM and ended at 5:49 PM. The tornado was 85 yards wide, traveled 2.8 miles, and contained estimated peak winds of 90 mph.

Another tornado touched down in Lee Center on Thursday, June 3. "This tornado was very unusual in that it came from a shower, no thunder was reported," the National Weather Service tweeted.