• Twin girls, Emily and Kenni Bisson, aged 6, were killed when a tornado-driven tree crushed their home in Clark Mills.
• Their mother survived but was trapped; emergency responders rescued her after widespread storm damage.
• The community mourns deeply as schools close and support efforts begin, with a state of emergency declared for 32 counties.

A tight-knit New York community is reeling after a vicious storm ripped through the hamlet of Clark Mills early Sunday morning, taking the lives of two six-year-old twin girls as they slept peacefully in their beds.

Emily and Kenni Bisson had barely begun their lives. Neighbors and friends described the girls as full of energy, laughter, and boundless creativity. A massive tree split their family’s house in half during the early hours of the storm, tragically killing them. The powerful winds, later confirmed as part of an EF-1 tornado, reached up to 95 miles per hour. In a matter of moments, everything changed.

“Get my kids out!” — A Mother’s Desperate Cry

The girls’ mother, 37-year-old Kayleigh Bisson, was home with her daughters when disaster struck. As the tornado tore through Hoyland Avenue, a towering maple tree with twin trunks — each nearly three feet wide — crashed down on their newly moved-in home.

Trapped beneath the debris, Kayleigh managed to call 911. Her voice, panicked and heart-wrenching, told dispatchers that the roof had caved in and she couldn’t find her girls. First responders arrived as quickly as they could, digging through the wreckage in the darkness and pouring rain. Despite their efforts, both Emily and Kenni were pronounced dead at the scene.

Neighbor Jared Bowman was among the first to respond. He sprinted toward the destroyed home, knowing the family had just settled into the neighborhood. What he saw will likely stay with him forever.

“She was screaming, ‘Get my kids out!’” he told Syracuse.com. “But the house was silent. There was no noise from inside. It felt cold. It felt wrong.”

A Town Grieves Its Brightest Stars

Another neighbor, Rick Carollo, who also serves with the Clark Mills Fire Department, fought his way through the mangled mess of wood and insulation. He found Kayleigh at the front window, barely accessible. Climbing over the fallen tree, he pulled her to safety. But as he searched for her daughters, hope quickly dimmed.

“I found one of the girls,” he said quietly. “But there was no pulse.”

For Clark Mills, this loss cut deep. Emily and Kenni were well-known in their small town. In a place where everyone seems to know each other by name, the twins stood out. They were little beacons of joy — dancing, laughing, creating sidewalk chalk masterpieces, and always flashing bright smiles that lifted spirits wherever they went.

A GoFundMe campaign launched shortly after the tragedy paints a picture of two little girls who lit up every room.

“They loved soccer, softball, dance, gymnastics — you name it. But what really made them special was how they made us feel,” the campaign reads. “They reminded people to smile, to play, to love. Their laughter echoed through parks, schools, and hearts.”

Their School Mourns the Unthinkable

At Clinton Elementary School, where the girls were in first grade, grief hung heavy in the hallways. Superintendent Christopher Clancy confirmed the tragic loss in a statement shared with families across the district.

“Earlier today, a severe weather emergency in our community resulted in the tragic loss of life, including two of our beloved elementary students,” Clancy said. “Our hearts are shattered. We extend our deepest sympathies to their family and friends.”

The school closed Monday to allow the community to process the heartbreaking news. Grief counselors were made available to students and staff the following day.

Outside the school, a makeshift memorial began to grow. Small pairs of sneakers, stuffed animals, and hand-drawn pictures with “We miss you Emily and Kenni” scrawled in crayon lined the sidewalk.

A Second Life Lost, More Homes Damaged

The storm’s fury didn’t stop with one family. In a separate but equally devastating incident, a tree crashed through the roof while 50-year-old Shelly Johnson slept, killing her. The Oneida County Sheriff’s Office found Johnson dead in her bed, unable to escape the destruction.

Photos from the aftermath show mangled trees sprawled across roads, downed power lines tangled in brush, and shattered rooftops that once sheltered families. Streets were barely recognizable. The normally quiet hamlet had transformed overnight into a scene of heartbreak and chaos.

A Community United Through Loss

In the days that followed, volunteers began to arrive — some with chainsaws, others with casseroles. Strangers hugged strangers. Tears flowed freely. Despite the pain, Clark Mills came together in the only way it knew how: through love, support, and shared sorrow.

Governor Kathy Hochul acknowledged the scale of the disaster and spoke with Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr., declaring a state of emergency in 32 counties, including Oneida. In addition to the storm’s damage, an extreme heatwave was expected to hit, further complicating recovery efforts.

“This is a time for neighbors to help neighbors,” Hochul said in a press briefing. “We are standing by this community.”