Michigan.- A rare twister in northern Michigan a small community was swept away on Friday, killing at least one person and injuring more than 40 as it overturned vehicles, ripped roofs off buildings, and brought down trees and power lines.
The tornado hit Gaylorda city of about 4,200 people about 230 miles (370 kilometers) northwest of Detroit, around 3:45 p.m.
Mike Klepadlo, owner of the Alter-Start North auto repair shop, said he and his workers took refuge in a bathroom.
Emma Goddard, 15, said she was working at the Tropical Smoothie Cafe when she received a phone alert about the twister. Thinking the weather outside seemed “stormy, but not scary,” she brushed it off and went back to what he was doing. Then her mother called and assured him that she was fine.
Two minutes later, he was serving a customer’s smoothie when his co-worker’s mother ran in and yelled for them to go to the back of the building, Goddard told The Associated Press by text message. They took refuge in the cold room, where they could hear how they broke the windows.
When they left the refrigerator about 15 minutes later and came out, they saw “some of our cars in pieces and insulation all over the floor,” Goddard said. Three neighboring businesses were destroyed.said.
Brian Lawson, a spokesman for Munson Healthcare, said Otsego Memorial Hospital was treating 23 people injured by the tornado and that one person died. He did not know the conditions of the injured or the name of the person who died.
Michigan State Police confirmed that one person was killed and said in a tweet that more than 40 people were injured and treated at area hospitals. State police planned to hold a briefing on Saturday morning.
Video posted online showed a dark funnel cloud materializing out of a cloud as nervous drivers watched or slowly backed away, unsure of their path.
Another video showed extensive damage along the city’s main street. One building appeared to have largely collapsed and a Goodwill store was badly damaged.
A collapsed power pole it lay on the side of the road, and debris, including what appeared to be power lines and parts of a Marathon gas station, was strewn across the street.
Brandie Slough, 42, said she and a teenage daughter sought safety in a bathroom at Culver’s. The windows of the fast food restaurant were blown out when they leftand his truck flipped on its roof in the parking lot.
Eddie Thrasher, 55, said he was sitting in his car outside an auto parts store when the tornado appeared to appear above him.
We recommend you read:
Extreme winds are rare in this part of Michigan because the Great Lakes absorb storm energy, especially in early spring when the lakes are very cold, said Jim Keysor, a Gaylord-based meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
#Devastating #tornado #leaves #dead #injured #Michigan