Eden Resident Receives Donation From Local Veterans After July Tornado

EDEN, N.Y. (WIVB) – It’s been almost three months since an EF-2 tornado ripped through the city of Eden. Residents are still trying to pick up the pieces.

Thanks to the community’s generosity, a local veteran is now one step closer to a new home.

Edward Blasz is a Vietnam War veteran and member of the East Eden Fire Department. Blasz and his wife, Rosemary, were one of many families whose homes were in ruins after the tornado.

“We were stunned, everything was gone,” Blasz said. “I looked outside and the garden was full of trees, the road was full of trees.”

Family cleanup efforts continue after the tornado hit the town of Eden

The roof of the Blasz family home was completely torn off and almost three months later it has still not been repaired.

“We were on the main path. Just ground zero,” said Blasz.

Gregory Gauthier is chairman of the Local 41 Veterans Committee of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). He is also an Army veteran. The tornado occurred while Gauthier was on active duty. When he came home and heard Blasz’s story, he knew he wanted to help.

“We had talked about it and put something together,” Gauthier said. “We were able to do a fundraiser and raise the money that we did for Ed and his family.”

With the help of Gauthier, the IBEW Union and some local veterans, they presented Blasz with $6,000 Thursday for repairs.

“We will remain united no matter what,” Gauthier said. “We saw that Ed needed a hand, so we reached out and helped him.”

“That’s the one thing about the brotherhood of the IBEW, we all try to help each other,” said John Dojka, an electrician with the local 41 IBEW. “We just do our best to get the job done.”

Blasz says he’s hoping for an insurance settlement to demolish his current home. He then hopes that someone will build a new, smaller house for him and his wife.

While he is sad that the home he has lived in for the past five decades will be gone, he is grateful for the way neighbors in the town of Eden stepped up when it was needed most.

“I can’t tell you enough about the support we’ve had,” Blasz said. “Veterans groups, the cities, neighbors, strangers, people I’ve never met before, just phenomenal.”