The Last three days have been an education.

Tree down on the bank of the Chemung River in West Elmira, NY.

Blocked path behind Pirrozzolo Park in West Elmira, NY.

Tin roof from nearby business on the Clemens Center Parkway in Elmira Eastside, NY.

Typical damage in West Elmira, NY.

Edgewood Street in Elmira, Westside, NY.

Trees down at Elmira College, around historic Cowles Hall.

Ruined embankment means firewood for Guinnip and Second Street residents in Elmira, NY.

 Power outages continued right through Sunday July 29, 2012 for residents of the Town of Elmira, NY.

Split trees were a common site, like this on Foster Avenue, Elmira, NY.

NYSEG and the National Grid workers kept busy for more than three days.

Our Lady of Lourdes Church needed a cleanup before weekend services, Town of Elmira, NY.

Uprooted trees were a dime a dozen in Elmira, NY, after the tornado.

Very unusual sight: usually National Grid trucks in place of Fire Dept. emergency vehicles.

Hope there were no prisoners in the West Elmira Police Station on Thursday.

The gray circle was completely under water in about a minute or two.  My Malibu sat in the black circle as the storm howled around me.  The house on the corner (with the maroon car) still has a backyard full of its neighbor's tree, uprooted near their wall.

Euclid and Second, one block behind where I sat in my car.

Another uprooted tree near the West Elmira Town Hall.

About a block away from our home, yet another uprooted tree.

My husband rode out the epicenter of the storm in County Offices in DownTown Elmira, NY.  Like me, he watched as hail battered the windows.  I watched the trees around me go crazy in the winds, dropping limbs all around me.  County Employees went to the basement of their buildings.

Eventually, I drove up onto the sidewalk and around the huge puddle to Guinnip and First.  The wind and rain and hail were so heavy that I could not see that two trees crossed the street ahead of me.  I turned down Guinnip and wove my way around all the traffic that was detouring from a flooded Church and Hoffman Streets intersection.  Our friend Bill at Westside Wine and Liquors tells me water ran all the way up the sidewalks and nearly covered the stoop of his store.

Some residents wont have power until Tuesday.

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Little Pond

Elmira Tornado 2012

Coming later today-Sat 7/28/12

Feel free to pick from the trees and please, please, grab any bagged ones you may see. I'll come to the door and wave. And the GrandDog will bark her butt off at you.

You're welcome. And thank you.

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Little Pond

Three Weeks Later

Granddog Ellie and I stopped at the container garden on Guinnip, escaping the heat and sun in the shade of the studio. I sat on the stairs and was awestruck by the view. We have never before seen the entire front facade of the place across from the studio. All is open to sunlight now.

This area is now totally clean. NYSEG still needs to remove some wires, but they are harmless, coiled neatly against the utility pole. And our neighbor has added more plants to her garden. I snapped the damaged areas, but will return for garden photos when no little dachshund is tugging at my arm.

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Little Pond

This ragged tree has become the norm around here. Open sky where there used to be cool shade and coveted privacy. Two trees damaged and one gone completely. 

This is the first time I've ever seen the complete facade of this lovely Georgian style home on Guinnip. 

Cleanly lopped, the tree is now half its former height. Tree surgeons came in for this one. 

A new roof makes all things right again. The roofers did an excellent job in just two days. Sign outside credits the Chilson Brothers. 

West First Street

Maybe a final post isn't really forthcoming. What I see now is gradual evolution. A fixup here, a planting there. Lots of sunlight where there was deep shade. This neighborhood has weathered a lot of storms, some climatic, some financial, some demographic. Just a couple shots of West First, townside. Later, a touch of Guinnip.

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Little Pond

Treemen did a nice job on this. No doubt it will fill out nicely over a year or two. 

Are they waiting to see if the birches resprout? They cleared out everything else. We'll watch to see how they make out. 

Remember this? Pretty much as it will stay, I guess. Either the owners will enjoy the openness, or they will plant like crazy before it gets too hot. 

There is so much less shade here now. I expect that by the end of the summer, it will look quite different, as the sun-loving plants thrive and the shade-lovers decrease. From the center to the right, all was shade. An ornamental, noted below, also disappeared. 

Penultimate Update

Had the good people from Time Warner over this morning. We are crazy about Time-Warner Cable! Those people actually have humans on the phone when we need them (after the usual menu-driven nonsense). Took one call to verify that they weren't the source, and one call to verify that I could not correct the inhouse trouble myself. Service Person at the door that afternoon.

Service person John tells me the trouble we've been having with our digital phone system has been traced to the ViolentStorm a few weeks back. I believe this would be the last little bit of damage we can record.

Next sunless day, I will head out for the final cleaned up shots. Although I have to admit, everything looks so normal, they just won't be interesting. I will link each to their damaged shot.

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Little Pond

Best for the Last

When all the damaged has been totally repaired we will wind up this blog. A violent storm in a neighborhood like this is impressive and inconvenient. But that is all. We are the fortunate ones, with insurance and a wide network of neighbors, friends, and family. And friends and neighbors that are like family.

Keep in mind that everything here is just what occurred within a stone's throw (literally) from the intersection of West First Street and Guinnip Avenue. The border between the City of Elmira and the Town of Elmira. There was also extensive damage elsewhere. The storm affected two entire counties, bringing down trees and powerlines and flooding street and property wherever it hit.

Scrolling down will work from back to front. The cleanup to the damage. Don't suppose I'll ever take the time to properly order it all. It's just a record, for myself and my neighbors.

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Little Pond

Many yards are fully of brush, but these people don't even own a tree out front! Street is clean, though, finally. 

Remember the pretty shady front garden on West First Street? Not shady anymore. Canopy is totally gone. Town.

I was worried about this, but never mind. Owner is blowing leaves and brush, and doggie doesn't like it. Couldn't get a closeup, but pretty nice critter. 

Still trying to get in. Pretty ornamental is totally gone, now. West First Street. Town. 

Remember this shot of total chaos? I couldn't tell which tree was down. Both of them, of course. West First Street. Town.

Neighbors said, and I have to admit it myself, that they never even realized there was a utility pole in front of this place on West First Street, Townside. 

Never knew there was a birch here, either.