Britt Jones
A mother lost her twin daughters after a tornado tore through their home in New York.
Kayleigh Bisson and her two daughters, Emily and Kenni, were on the first floor in their rented Clark Mills home when a tornado ravaged the Central New York street of Hoyland area.
The EF-1 tornado reached peak winds of 105 mph and covered 2.43 miles through Oneida County, The National Weather Service said in a statement.
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According to their neighbor Rick Carollo, who is a Clark Mills Fire Department member, the storm sounded like a freight train, according to Syracuse.com.
The strength of the storm caused multiple 3-foot-thick maple trees to fall onto the homes in the area, one of which came crashing down on the Bisson's house, as well as the nearby house of Shelly Johnson, 50, killing her.
A press release from The Oneida County Sheriff's Office said they'd received a notification about a tree collapsing onto a residence 'occupied by a mother and her two children', leading her to 'become temporarily entrapped' and 'unable to locate her two daughters'.
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Neighbour Jared Bowman told Syracruse.com that he ran to the family's home, where Kayleigh was shouting.
He said: "She was yelling, 'Get my kids out!' But there was no noise. It felt very eerie and bad."
Carollo also shared how he woke to the storm with a phone message saying help was needed at their house, telling the publication: "I found the mother in the front window. I had to climb a tree to get her out."
He found one of the girls beneath the debris; however, he said he couldn't find a pulse on her.
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When help arrived, they pronounced both girls dead at the scene, The Oneida County Sheriff's Office said.
Emily and Kenni were first-graders at Clinton Elementary School, and the school's superintendent, Christopher Clancy, issued a statement about the passing of the two girls.
"Earlier today, a severe weather emergency in our community resulted in the tragic loss of life, including two of our elementary students," he said. "Our hearts are with all of the families and loved ones affected by this tragedy."
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He said that school would be closed on Monday as a result of the storm and that counsellors would be available for any students who needed them.
A GoFundMe was also created to help Kayleigh with the funeral expenses and 'give these 2 beautiful souls the celebration of life that they deserve'.
It said Emily and Kenni 'were known throughout town', adding: "They always kept everyone smiling and made people remember what life was all about."
As of the time of writing, the page has raised over $295,000.