AUBURN - Strong winds from a thunderstorm Monday evening pummeled the city's York and Division Street area, ripping the roof off the city's landfill maintenance building, blowing it across Division Street into a radio-station service structure.
Reid Silverman / The Citizen
Strong winds ripped off the roof of the Auburn landfill maintenance building. It was blown onto a building belonging to the Fingerlakes Media Group during a thunderstorm Monday.
On the way across the street, the membrane roof apparently caught utility lines, snapping several heavy poles, leaving them dangling. Debris from the roof, as well as several tree limbs were spread from the lawn of the maintenance building all the way to York Street.
New York State Electric and Gas officials reported 4,400 customers in the Auburn area were without electricity Monday as a result of the storm.
By 6 a.m. Tuesday, power had been restored to all but 600 customers, according to NYSEG.
Frank DeOrio, head of the city's public works department, was at the scene at the landfill about 8:30 p.m., an hour after the winds blew through. He stood, wearing a yellow slicker in the pouring rain, contemplating what to do about the maintenance building as utility crews began arriving.
"The water is coming in pretty good," he said. "But I think we'll have to wait for the utility companies. I don't know what we can do tonight."
He was on his way to one of the city's pump stations - which typically has problems during severe storms - when he was diverted to the landfill because of the roof.
"We're not sure what happened, but it does look like a microburst just came through," DeOrio said.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Bob Mundschenk said there were many reports of trees and power lines down throughout Cayuga County but could not confirm the mircoburst in Auburn, he said.
Bradley and Canoga streets also suffered broken power lines, police and fire officials said.
At the intersection of North Division and York streets, the roofing from the maintenance building was wrapped around the west side of a small structure in front of a radio tower. The tower itself wasn't damaged, but the building appeared to have some of its shingles ripped away.
The Auburn Fire Department was called back to the building at about 10:45 p.m. for a reported fire there. Firefighters were initially kept at bay as electric crews tried to determine if live wires were in contact with the structure.
There was some concern about workers ending their evening shift at McQuay International on Technology Park Boulevard because police and fire officials had blocked off part of Division Street. Traffic was diverted to Allen Street.
New York State Electric and Gas officials reported 4,400 customers in the Auburn area were without electricity Monday as a result of the storm.
By 6 a.m. Tuesday, power had been restored to all but 600 customers, according to NYSEG.
Frank DeOrio, head of the city's public works department, was at the scene at the landfill about 8:30 p.m., an hour after the winds blew through. He stood, wearing a yellow slicker in the pouring rain, contemplating what to do about the maintenance building as utility crews began arriving.
"The water is coming in pretty good," he said. "But I think we'll have to wait for the utility companies. I don't know what we can do tonight."
He was on his way to one of the city's pump stations - which typically has problems during severe storms - when he was diverted to the landfill because of the roof.
"We're not sure what happened, but it does look like a microburst just came through," DeOrio said.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Bob Mundschenk said there were many reports of trees and power lines down throughout Cayuga County but could not confirm the mircoburst in Auburn, he said.
Bradley and Canoga streets also suffered broken power lines, police and fire officials said.
At the intersection of North Division and York streets, the roofing from the maintenance building was wrapped around the west side of a small structure in front of a radio tower. The tower itself wasn't damaged, but the building appeared to have some of its shingles ripped away.
The Auburn Fire Department was called back to the building at about 10:45 p.m. for a reported fire there. Firefighters were initially kept at bay as electric crews tried to determine if live wires were in contact with the structure.
There was some concern about workers ending their evening shift at McQuay International on Technology Park Boulevard because police and fire officials had blocked off part of Division Street. Traffic was diverted to Allen Street.
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