HANCOCK – A tornado that began in Sanford, NY, in Broome County, traveled over 15 miles picking up speed and causing a path of destruction before ending in Hancock on Saturday evening.

According to the National Weather Service – Binghamton (NWS), the tornado touched down along Farnham Road approximately three miles from Sanford at 6:12 p.m. on July 18 and ended in Hancock at 6:31 p.m.

It caused sporadic EF-0 damage along Farnham Road, mainly consisting of trees snapped or uprooted. There was minor damage to an old barn along the road and a gazebo was lifted into a pond, NWS reported.

The tornado strengthened to EF-1 intensity (maximum winds of 95 mph) as it approached New York State Route 41, snapping and uprooting numerous trees and power lines.

The tornado crossed Oquaga Creek and caused more EF-1 level damage on Farnham Road and Old Plank Road. The damage mainly consisted of numerous downed trees, including a tree that fell onto a car. A home was damaged when the metal skirting was blown out from underneath it on Farnham Road.

The tornado continued tracking southeast over a hill and paralleled Old Plank Road and Old Route 17 where it caused lighter sporadic tree damage at an EF-0 level.

The weak tornado continued south and east, crossing State Route 17 just west of exit 83. It continued south and east, likely causing sporadic damage as it crossed over the inaccessible Whittacker Swamp State Forest.

There was visible damage of numerous downed and snapped trees along the hillside just west of River Road and State Highway 17. The weak tornado continued onward to the south and east causing light damage as it moved through the town of Hale Eddy, NY. Additional tree damage was noted across the Delaware River in Pennsylvania along Penn York Road.

The tornado crossed Route 17 again and moved across the town of Hancock, causing significant tree damage at the Hancock Golf Course. The tornado then crossed County Highway 268 and the East Branch of the Delaware River.

It restrengthened to EF-1 level and caused significant tree damage mainly along the south bank of the river, along with some damage to out buildings and porches of residences. The tornado lifted just southeast of Peas Eddy Road as it moved up a hill.

The same storm later resulted in a strong microburst about a mile and a half northwest of Rock Valley, NWS said. This microburst resulted in extensive tree damage, including numerous snapped and uprooted trees with a path length of 0.7 miles and path width of 0.3 miles. The maximum winds were estimated to be 105 mph.

According to the NWS, there were no injuries or deaths reported.

The Town and Village of Hancock declared a state of emergency on Saturday, including an order for no unnecessary travel.

“This is a hazardous situation where public safety is first and foremost,” the order stated. “Please give first responders, road crews and the power company the space and time they need to clear the roads and restore infrastructure.”

By Sunday, the Village of Hancock lifted the state of emergency, but it remained in the town. The town’s supervisor, Jerry Vernold, said damage remained.

“This is a major event and we’ll get through it,” he said.

The storm knocked out power for thousands across the region. According to NYSEG, on Sunday there were still 6,272 customers without power in the company’s Binghamton division (Broome, Chenango and Tioga counties), 1,234 customers without power in the company’s Liberty division (Orange, Sullivan, Delaware and Ulster counties), and 5,094 customers without power in the company’s Oneonta division (which includes Broome and Delaware counties).

Initial field reports indicate more than 80 downed wires and 49 broken poles across the region, a representative from NYSEG said. The storm response teams are fully engaged with crews working to assess the damage, make safe downed wires, clear fallen tree debris from the roads and restore power, when it is safe and possible to do so.

Additional crews are en route to the hardest-hit areas to support restoration efforts and accelerate service restoration. The company is also coordinating response efforts with state and local emergency management authorities.