Employees Organize Fundraiser for Upstate NY Cinema Hit By Tornado

In the aftermath of a record-setting month for severe weather in New York, local communities are still trying to piece their lives back together.

A mix of high temperatures, heavy humidity and remnants of Hurricane Beryl have led to turbulent weather patterns, with a record 16 tornadoes having been confirmed in the month of July alone.

The biggest twister, an EF-2, recently hit the city of Rome, NY. The area was ravaged by winds gusting up to 135 MPH. Trees and power lines were torn from their foundations, and a heartbreaking number of buildings were left severely damaged, if not flattened.

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One such building that was impacted by the storms was the Capitol Arts Complex, home of the historic Capitol Theatre. This historic showroom opened its doors in 1928, and has served as the backdrop for the entertainment of locals ever since.

Unfortunately, the complex was one of countless buildings to be damaged by the tornado. This was posted on Facebook late Monday night:

As you can see in the post, the Capitol Arts Complex's employees --- specifically, Kylie Pierce --- have created a GoFundMe page to try to raise the money necessary to get the building back in working order.

READ MORE: This Record Was Broken for Severe Weather in New York State in July

On the fundraiser's homepage, they specify that the Cinema Capitol, our independent cinema next door to the historic auditorium, sustained heavy damage, and we will need to do extensive repairs before reopening.

They've set the fundraising goal at $20,000.

Click here to visit the GoFundMe page for the Capitol Arts Complex in Rome. You can also visit them on Facebook by clicking here.