ONEIDA, N.Y. — National Grid emergency response teams were among the first on the scene in the Mohawk Valley after tornadoes ripped down trees, tore off roofs, toppled church steeples and claimed the life of one person in the village of Canastota.
In furtherance of our commitment to our customers and the communities where we live and work, and after consultation with local stakeholders to identify ongoing needs in the community, National Grid has donated $125,000 to support regional organizations and municipalities that are still healing after the storms.
The funding, provided by the company’s shareholders through National Grid’s Project C, our Community Investment Program, will support local relief services, cleanup efforts, and community enhancements.
Oneida suffered significant damage from the line of thunderstorms that caused the tornadoes on July 16. Working together with the mayor’s office and city police, National Grid will provide $12,500 to the Oneida Improvement Committee, which will work with the city to build a so-called pocket park on a vacant lot bordering both Messenger and Phelps Streets. The lot would be cleared and converted into a lit park area for the community to use.
“The pocket park will serve as a valuable gathering place for our community, encouraging outdoor activity, relaxation, and connection with nature,” Oneida Mayor Rick Rossi said in a news release. “It’s through charitable efforts like this from National Grid that we can continue to make meaningful improvements that benefit everyone, we truly appreciate their support.”
National Grid worked with local and state partners to gain access to its infrastructure in neighborhoods, along commercial corridors, and in hard-to-reach areas after the tornado outbreak. An EF-2 tornado, with winds up to 135 mph, struck the city of Rome, while an EF-1 tornado with top winds of 100 mph hit Canastota.
Additionally, severe thunderstorms with excessive winds caused extensive damage in the city of Oneida and impacted lives across the Mohawk Valley. As part of our emergency response, National Grid deployed more than 3,000 power restoration experts — including line, service, tree, damage assessment and public safety crews – who worked around the clock in dangerous weather conditions to restore service to the 72,000 affected customers in the area.
“National Grid crews went to work immediately to clean up the storm’s damage and begin restoring power to our customers as quickly as possible,” National Grid’s New York President Sally Librera said in the release. “We were welcomed with open arms by our neighbors, some of whom were dealing with some extraordinarily difficult conditions, and we are thankful for the cooperation with state and local officials that assisted us in our work.”
“That partnership is critical to our operations, and we strive to keep those relationships strong with our communities and customers,” she continued. “Today’s donation is our way of saying that we are here long after the lights are back on to support them.”
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