Waterloo officials are pursuing a separate village disaster declaration and asking residents to document property losses as cleanup continues from the two tornadoes and widespread straight-line wind damage that tore across Seneca County on Sept. 2.
The village asked residents to submit photographs and damage estimates, including the property owner’s name, property location and contact information. The records can be sent by text to 315-651-9017, delivered to the Village Office or brought to the office for printing if needed.
Waterloo schedules villagewide debris pickup
Waterloo is collecting trees and brush placed along the roadside and is working with Seneca County on a villagewide debris pickup scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 8. Officials said construction debris must not be mixed into the piles and asked residents not to pick through material awaiting collection.
Village representatives said they are also available to help residents as cleanup proceeds. People seeking assistance can call the village at 315-539-9131.
The village described the storm as an unprecedented natural disaster and said neighbors, community members and emergency crews continue working together through the recovery. Its planned declaration would follow a countywide disaster declaration issued Friday.
County seeks state and federal assistance
Seneca County Board of Supervisors Chairman Michael Enslow declared significant disaster conditions and asked New York state to pursue state and federal assistance. The county said Waterloo and Seneca Falls were especially hard hit, with additional damage and electrical outages reported elsewhere in Seneca County.
The county’s request seeks a state disaster emergency declaration, immediate help from state agencies and expedited preliminary damage assessments. It also asks that Seneca County be included in any presidential emergency or major disaster declaration tied to the storm and that federal assistance be pursued for local governments, residents, farms, businesses and nonprofit organizations.
Officials said homes, businesses, farms, vehicles, public facilities, municipal infrastructure and utility systems were damaged. Emergency personnel, highway departments, utility crews, municipal employees and volunteers have been clearing roads, responding to hazards and documenting costs that could exceed locally available resources.
Power restoration and storm assistance continue
NYSEG scheduled a Friday distribution of dry ice and bottled water at the Waterloo Fire Department, 39 E. Water St., for residents affected by the outages. The utility said it expected to restore service to all remaining affected customers by 11 p.m. Friday.
About 2,300 NYSEG customers remained without power across the company’s Geneva Division on Friday morning, down from about 4,300 Thursday evening. The division includes Ontario, Wayne, Seneca and Yates counties.
NYSEG said crews had restored service to more than 48,000 customers since the storms. Fallen trees and blocked roads complicated access to damaged poles, wires and other equipment in some locations.
Two tornadoes confirmed in damage zone
The National Weather Service confirmed two distinct tornado paths embedded within a broad area of destructive wind damage across northern Seneca County. An EF2 tornado with winds reaching 115 mph moved through Fayette, while an EF1 with winds reaching 95 mph tracked through Waterloo and ended in Seneca Falls.
The stronger tornado began about a mile south of Rose Hill, just west of Route 96A, and traveled roughly 7 miles through the town of Fayette. It ended nearly 2 miles south of Canoga Springs, according to the Weather Service survey.
The second tornado began a few miles west-northwest of Waterloo and moved into the village before weakening and ending in Seneca Falls. The Weather Service estimated its path at between 6 and 7 miles.
Severe downburst winds caused additional tree damage between and beyond the more concentrated tornado paths. A 76 mph gust recorded at the Waterloo NYS Mesonet site, about 2 miles south-southwest of Seneca Falls, documented the strength of the straight-line winds within the storm system.
Damage stretched across northern Seneca County
Reports received by FingerLakes1.com described trees falling across roads and properties, damaged poles and wires, structural damage and water entering basements. The Town of Seneca Falls Police Department said some sections of the community were hit especially hard.
Police officers, firefighters, highway crews, utility workers and other emergency personnel worked through the night and into the following days to assess damage, answer calls, clear travel routes and address electrical hazards.
Seneca County issued a no unnecessary travel advisory for the northern part of the county at 10 p.m. Wednesday as debris, flooding and downed utility lines made roads hazardous or impassable. The countywide advisory was lifted Thursday afternoon after most conditions improved, though officials continued urging motorists to obey barricades and give cleanup crews room to work.
Downed lines and flooded basements remain hazards
Residents should stay at least 30 feet from downed power lines and assume every line is energized. NYSEG customers can report an outage, downed wire or electrical emergency at 1-800-572-1131, and life-threatening emergencies should be reported to 911.
Officials also warned people to stay out of flooded basements when energized wiring or outlets may be present and never drive through standing water. Motorists encountering an inoperable traffic signal should treat it as a four-way stop.
Seneca County and its municipalities are continuing to document emergency-response costs, debris-removal expenses, infrastructure damage, extended outages and losses reported by residents, farms, businesses and nonprofit organizations. Waterloo’s request for photographs and estimates is part of that broader effort to measure the storm’s full impact and support recovery requests.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.