Commenting on the eleventh anniversary of the June 1, 2011 tornado that left a 6.2 mile long scar through the City of Springfield, Mayor Sarno stated, “Eleven years later, Springfield is again showing our resiliency and strength as we continue to work together to defeat this COVID-19 pandemic, and we will. This year marks the eleventh anniversary of the EF-3 tornado that devastated our neighborhoods. The reminder I want to take away from this is that even during what may seem as our darkest days, we will recover and see better times with hard work, belief, compassion and unity. Please join with me as we take a moment of silence to pause and reflect on our ability as a city to join together and work so diligently on making our city whole again. It has been a long and arduous recovery process, but the resiliency of the entire City of Springfield has shone through time and time again.”
“The City of Springfield like much of New England is used to nor’easters, blizzards, and hurricanes, but never in our wildest dreams would we ever imagine taking a direct hit by a major tornado,” Mayor Sarno added. “As I reflect on the response from my dedicated city team and I did during and immediately after the tornado touched down, I am truly humbled as I recall the heartfelt responses from our residents, first responders, business community, nonprofits, the private sector, and my colleagues in government during these states of emergencies. The compassion and support we have seen during these challenging times is a testament to the patience, strength, and fortitude of our City of Springfield and we all should be proud.”
