Monson Battered by Tornado - Monson, MA - News Article Locations on Waymarking.com

On June 1, 2011, a rare EF-3 tornado touched down in West Springfield, and traveled in a straight line east for 35 miles. The tornado path went through the center of the rural town of Monson.

There are many articles that covered this in all media. At the night that the tornado struck, live video shots focused on the First Church of Monson. This church, a beautiful white clapboard church, had a tall steeple that was in shambles in the grass before it. There is 'Before' and 'After' set of pictures showing difference in the appearance. There is ample evidence of the damage at the time of the visit, about six weeks after the tornado. Houses were in all different states, from good to completely gone. The town offices building - which formerly held the high school - had plywood in the windows, and the roof appeared roughed up.

The article selected, Fox TV - 25 out of Boston, hopefully will be up for a long time. It starts with:

"The scope of the damage in Monson is overwhelming. More than 100 homes in this town of 9,000 people were damaged or leveled by Wednesday's tornado...

...a pastor in Monson says his town has been walloped by an apparent tornado that took down his church's steeple, while battering houses and uprooting massive trees.

The Rev. Bob Marrone of The First Church of Monson said roads are impassable. The steeple fell, but Marrone said he's more concerned about massive damage to homes in Monson..."

And yet, no one died in Monson - a possible miracle in itself.

At the time of the visit, there was a lot of evidence of the town recovering. The Methodist Church had its door open, where people could drop off or pick up items for families in need. Tarps and scaffolding were everywhere. And there were notices on store windows and in front of lawns with the words, "We are Monson Strong" and several notices of fundraisers.

When I walked and drove around, I was struck by the width of the path - 1/10 - 1/4 mile. The town center is in a U-valley, which should have protected it. However, this was a powerful cyclone, and stayed together despite the changing topograpy.

I await the visits to document this community's recovery.

Type of publication: Television When was the article reported?: 06/02/2011 Publication: MyFox - 25 Boston Article Url: [Web Link] Is Registration Required?: no How widespread was the article reported?: national News Category: Weather

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