July 4, 2026 Storm Devastation

July 5, 2026 Allentown, Pennsylvania — Late last night, at approximately 9:30 on July 4, a weather anomaly (a partially formed tornado, or perhaps a derecho) swept through the West Walnut and West Park neighborhoods of Allentown. One of our members, standing on an east-facing porch on 17th St, watched as torrential rain drove from the the west sideways at tremendous speed, transformers burst into arcs of blue light, and limbs and debris hurtled down the street. Many of our neighbors remain without power. Please reach out to the people in your orbit to lend a hand.

At dawn, many of us emerged to survey the wreckage: our beloved West Park had absorbed the worst of it, particularly along its southern edge. The bandshell, the fountain, and the memorials all escaped harm, though the southernmost sycamore near the bandshell shed a major limb.

Less fortunate were the two mature oaks in the park's southwest corner; both must be counted as total losses, and the larger of the pair was uprooted entirely. In that same corner, a white pine and a Japanese pagoda tree lost much of their crowns; so too did the Kentucky coffee tree, Norway maple, and black locust along the park's south-central border near the Masonic Temple. The gingkoes ringing the fountain suffered extensive limb breakage but appear otherwise sound and worth preserving. Neighbors pitched in to clear the fountain of fallen limbs and branches.

All but two of the trees involved were original to the park's 1908 planting; reckoning with their loss emotionally will take time.

The WPCA has already been in touch with the City Parks Department and has begun assembling a species-specific succession planting plan to help fund and safeguard the park's arboretum. Youth in the neighborhood, for their part, are exploring Climate Action grant funding to help carry the effort forward.

We will never stop advocating on behalf of West Park and its historic canopy, pursuing the same expansive vision and legacy-minded foresight that guided its founders, so that generations to come may experience it exactly as they intended.

Anyone interested in donating, helping raise funds, or getting involved in future horticultural projects or direct action in West Park should contact us at westpark.ca@verizon.net or call our president at 610-737-7132, or simply come to one of our meetings, held at 7pm on the first Tuesday of every month at the Episcopal Church of the Mediator.