Briggs Transport owner Boom Briggs gets set to haul away ground tree limbs, stumps and brush filling his truck at the City of Erie compost area on Sept. 22. The cleanup follows a severe windstorm on Sept. 2-3 that felled trees across large parts of the city.
GREG WOHLFORD/ERIE TIMES-NEWS
USA TODAY Network, Reuters
Erie Cemetery remains closed as storm cleanup continues.
An estimated 100 trees were uprooted or severely damaged in the cemetery during the Sept. 2-3 windstorm that pummeled the city. Contractors hired by the Erie Cemetery Association are still removing and hauling away the debris.
“They’re mostly doing stump work now, which is the biggest job,” cemetery CEO David Rinderle said. “There’s so much equipment here, including cranes with booms – plus gigantic holes in the ground – that it’s just not safe to open yet.”
Headstones and monuments also were destroyed or damaged by the storm, though how many remains to be seen – literally. As downed trees are removed, more damaged stones are coming to light.
Headstones and monuments for the cemetery’s well-known graves, including the graves of composer Harry T. Burleigh, Civil War general Strong Vincent and Erie’s Reed family, seem to be intact, Rinderle said.
Will damaged markers be replaced?
Families will be responsible for replacing or repairing damaged headstones and other cemetery monuments.
“We don’t own the headstones. They’re owned by the families,” Rinderle said. “The cemetery can certainly clean stones and do other minor work, but we don’t have the resources to go beyond that.”
Families’ cost may be covered by homeowner’s insurance.
There may be no family remaining to replace or repair older headstones dating back as many as 175 years to when the cemetery opened in 1851. Organizations, businesses or individuals could adopt a headstone to cover the cost.
“They could be funded by an interested third party,” Rinderle said.
When will the cemetery reopen?
It will be a few weeks before the cemetery is open to the public, Rinderle said.
In the meantime, contractors will continue collecting wood and limbs and hauling them to the city compost area on Port Access Road and other sites.
The cemetery cleanup will cost a minimum of $500,000, according to early estimates.
Once the cleanup is completed, an arborist will be hired to survey trees remaining in the cemetery and prepare for replanting.
Contact Valerie Myers at vmyers@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Storm cleanup ongoing at Erie Cemetery. Damage toll is rising
Reporting by Valerie Myers, Erie Times-News / Erie Times-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Copyright Reuters or USA Today via Reuters Connect
This story was originally published September 23, 2026 at 5:14 AM.