3 dead in central New York after powerful storm lashes the area

Three people, including two children, in central New York died Sunday after severe storms lashed the region with heavy rains and powerful winds that washed out roadways, toppled trees and damaged homes, authorities said.

The deaths were the result of two separate cases of falling trees in the town of Kirkland in Oneida County, according to its sheriff, Robert Maciol.

Deputies responded to a report of a tree that had fallen on a home in the town, which is about 15 miles south of Rome, New York. Inside the house, investigators found a woman, Shelly Johnson, 50, who was pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff said in a statement.

Authorities were called to another tree that had fallen on a home that was occupied by a woman and her two children.

“It was reported by the caller that the roof collapsed onto her, causing her to become temporarily entrapped and she was unable to locate her two daughters,” the statement said.

Investigators found the daughters, Emily Bisson and Kenni Bisson, both 6 years old, inside the home. They were pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff said. He attributed all three deaths to the severe storm.

The storm brought as much as 3.35 inches of rain to parts of Oneida County and 3.4 inches of rain to parts of Chenango County to the south, according to the weather service.

The rainfall was so intense that, for more than six hours, Chenango County was under a flash flood emergency, a rare alert for extremely dangerous, life-threatening conditions.

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