Tragic Storm Claims Two Young Sisters in Upstate New York

Two six-year-old twins, Emily and Kenni Bisson, lost their lives after a powerful storm caused a tree to topple onto their home early Sunday morning. Neighbors heard frantic screams from their mother, Kayleigh Bisson, as the severe weather struck.

At around 4 a.m., gusts reaching 95 mph fueled an EF-1 tornado, which resulted in a large maple tree crashing into the Clark Mills residence. The tree shattered through the roof, cutting across multiple floors and trapping the girls inside while their mother slept nearby. First responders arrived to discover the family’s home severely damaged, and both twins were pronounced dead at the scene.

Neighbor Jared Bowman recounted rushing to the scene after hearing the collision. He found Kayleigh attempting to escape through a window and heard her shouting for help to rescue her children. Fire department volunteer Rick Carollo, also a neighbor, described climbing a tree to reach the mother and searching through the debris to find the girls. Sadly, one of the twins was found without a pulse.

The family had recently moved to the area. Emily and Kenni attended Clinton Elementary School, where the district expressed sorrow over their deaths. Their superintendent described them as joyful and well-loved in their community, known for their enthusiasm, laughter, and artistic talents. A fundraising effort has been launched to support their grieving mother with funeral expenses.

In a separate incident, a woman named Shelly Johnson, 50, was also killed when a tree fell through her roof during the storm. The storm’s destruction prompted the governor to declare a state of emergency across 32 counties due to ongoing severe weather and heat warnings.

Official teams from the National Weather Service are investigating the damage caused by Sunday’s storms in Clark Mills.