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Strong winds blow down steeple off First Baptist Church of Greenport

Strong wind gusts blew down the steeple of First Baptist Church of Greenport early Friday morning. Police woke Pastor Tom LaMothe around 4 a.m. with the news that the structure had blown off the roof of the Main Street church around 3:30 a.m.

The steeple did not fall to the ground and no one was injured.

“The main thing is that no one got hurt,” Pastor LaMothe said. “People can’t be replaced. Stuff can be fixed.”

Fire department crews with a crane were able to safely lower the steeple to the ground early Friday without incident, he said. The church plans on fixing and reinstalling the steeple, he added.

The storm, which started with snowfall Thursday afternoon, brought winds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph overnight, according to the National Weather Service.  A wind advisory remains in effect until noon Friday. A coastal flood advisory is also in effect until 9 a.m.

A trained spotter reported 3 1/2 inches of snow in Orient at 9 p.m. Thursday, according to the NWS. More than 5 inches fell in parts of western Suffolk County.

Top photo credit: Stringer News 

The steeple did not fall to ground. (Stringer News photo)
The church on Friday morning. (Tina Contento photo)