BRIMFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Many Brimfield residents told 22News the June 1st tornado is still fresh in their minds 5 years later. You can still see the damage it left behind.
“It was like someone just dropped a bomb, and everything was just blowing all over the place,” said Robert Wemyss, who was a Brimfield firefighter during the tornado.
Trees snapped in half, homes leveled, and roads covered in debris. On June 1, 2011, a tornado carved a path of destruction through the Town of Brimfield, killing 1 person and injuring many others.
Wemyss said, “All of the stuff flying around, the houses, the roofs, the trees, the dirt, the stones, everything was just unbelievable.”
Memories of that horrifying day are still fresh in the minds of Brimfield residents 5 years later.
“Now and then you see something that reminds you of it.” Judy Sessler told 22News her house was spared by the tornado, but she spent weeks helping her neighbors who had nothing left. “There was just so many people who came out and stayed in the church to help people all night, all week, helping find clothing, and naturally there were others that were feeding.”
The tornado ripped through trees on New Holland Road in Brimfield, tearing apart hundreds of acres of land. 5 years later, much of that damage still exists.
There are also signs of new life, new trees and plants that continue to give residents hope that someday, they’ll be able to put the June 2011 tornado in the back of their minds. Emily Ryan of Brimfield said, “There’s so much more green now, but when we moved here 3 years ago there was nothing.
It will take 30 to 40 years for these trees to grow back.
By Tamara Sacharczyk Published: June 1, 2016, 6:14 pm Updated: June 1, 2016, 8:03 pm
Picture: Flattened: The house collapsed as the tornado passed through Springfield, Massachusetts – WHDH-TV
