We thought we had seen the destructive power of Mother Nature when a tornado ripped through Arkwright and Hanover a couple of weeks ago.

Winds reached 110 miles an hour, but damage was largely limited to minor roof and tree damage along Henry Road in Arkwright; tree damage along Putnam, Zahm, and Bradigah Roads; and significant roofing damage on Gage Road. The damage is life-changing for those whose homes were damaged by the tornados.

But it could have been worse for Chautauqua County. Tornados could have ripped through a major downtown area as they did in Rome last week. Barely a block of Rome was left untouched by the tornado. County office buildings were severely damaged, a 183,000 pound World War II B2 bomber was tipped on its side, an 82-year-old man was swept away by the wind and hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged.

Gov. Kathy Hochul called the storm the worst event to hit Rome in its 228-year history. And in addition to Rome, three other tornadoes touched down in the surrounding area.

“We toured this community, but first I will say: as I was landing, coming in from New York City … you cannot imagine the impact of seeing from the sky how vast the destruction is,” Hochul said. “When you see entire swaths of trees just collapsed like they were toothpicks.”

State and federal officials are pledging help to rebuild after last week’s destruction. Government should support those whose homes and businesses were destroyed by the tornadoes, but let no one be under any illusion – it will be years before life is fully back to normal for many residents of the Rome area.