CONWAY, Mass. (WPRI) — One year ago Sunday evening, the only February tornado in recorded Massachusetts history moved through the western part of the state. An EF1 tornado tore through the woods of nearby Goshen, then moved to Conway, a small town with less than 2,000 residents.
One house had the front torn off of it. The church was badly damaged and an antiques barn was leveled. The roof of Steve Schneider’s home was completely ripped off.
Eyewitness News spoke with Schneider last year, two days after the twister hit his home.
“Folks in the Midwest and Alabama tell us it sounds like a freight train. It surely does,” Schneider said.
The Schneider’s home, like many other buildings in the Pumpkin Hollow section of town, was badly damaged.
“Initially, the amount of damage looked insurmountable,” Schneider said.
Schneider and his wife Eileen stood on their front porch Monday, recalling the troubles they’ve endured over the last 12 months. The railing to the porch on this 1860s-style house was wooden last year, but has since been replaced with a more modern, vinyl version.
But the damage to their porch was the least of their problems.
“We were the only people in the whole area in Pumpkin Hollow who could not live in our house,” Eileen Schneider said. “Because we had no roof, we had to leave.”
Over the past year, the rebuilding has been ongoing through Pumpkin Hollow. The antiques barn, a pile of rubble a year ago, has now been rebuilt. The home which had its front torn off, has since been repaired.
The Schneider’s had to stay with their son who lives nearby. The stay was longer than they hoped, but they are thankful for the extra time they could spend with their teenage grandson.
“It was eight months before we got back into our home… to the day,” Steve Schneider said. He said they moved back into their home of 38 years on Oct. 25.
The tornado hit during the evening of February 25, 2017. It was unseasonably warm that Saturday and a Severe Thunderstorm Watch had been issued for parts of western New England.
The tornado packed winds up to 110 m.p.h. and followed a roughly five mile long path, growing to two football fields wide at one point. The winds roared with such a force that sheets of metal were found twisted around tree branches the next day.
The Schneiders said they were watching our sister station, WWLP-TV that evening. The storm hit shortly after the Sunday evening newscast ended.
The storm didn’t last long, but the damage was significant. No one was injured in the freak February storm. After the tornado passed, a bit of snow fell in Pumpkin Hollow as cold air rushed in behind the storm.
A year later, there was a light snowfall on the ground again. The scars from a year ago are everywhere. Snapped trees remain on the ground, almost frozen in time. The United Congregational Church, which has a 250-year-old congregation, remains nearly untouched since that weekend one year ago.
The stained glass windows of the church have been removed and the bell which was once in the tower has been taken out. The church may still be declared a total loss.
The Schneiders are back in their home and remain wary of the weather. The recent warm spell here in New England reminded them of last year before the tornado. Since the twister hit, they have been paying a lot more attention to the weather.
“I said several times to other people that if I hear that freight train again, I want to be near the railroad tracks,” Steve Schneider said.
by T.J. Del Santo
February 26, 2018
