Powerful tornadoes and storms swept through southwestern Michigan Tuesday evening, destroying homes and businesses and injuring several residents. These scenes could play out again in the central and eastern US Wednesday.
At least a dozen people were injured at a mobile home park in Pavilion Township following a tornado Tuesday, according to a county official. The township is located in Kalamazoo County, where 15 to 20 people had minor injuries and were transported to two area hospitals, according to the county’s emergency management spokesperson Andrew Alspach.
In the neighboring city of Portage, about 7 miles south of Kalamazoo, pictures and videos showed a FedEx facility with significant roof and structural damage after a storm hit the area Tuesday evening. However, a FedEx representative told CNN that there were no serious injuries.
About 50 people were trapped in the building due to downed wires. Taylor Koopman, a spokesperson for the Kalamazoo County administrator’s office, told MLive.com that work to clear the wires was ongoing as of 9:30 p.m. ET. However, city of Portage spokesperson Mary Beth Block told CNN in an email that authorities had removed the building.
“We have significant damage, including damage to residential and commercial buildings, trees down across many roads in the city, and several reports of gas leaks,” Portage city officials said in a news release.
The city pleaded with its residents to “stay home” and “please stay off the roads. First responders are stuck in gridlock.”
According to St. Joseph County Undersheriff Jason Bingaman, multiple residential and commercial buildings were destroyed after a possible tornado touched down in Centreville on Tuesday. The storm damage ripped off roofs and flattened homes “completely down,” Bingaman told CNN.
In Branch County, about 60 miles south of Kalamazoo, at least seven homes were destroyed. Emergency Management Director Tim Miner said he could not get out and assess damage to other parts of the county.
Tornadoes in Michigan are infrequent, but Union City, in Branch County, faced an unprecedented situation. According to the National Weather Service, the city was placed under Michigan’s first tornado emergency when “a large and destructive tornado” was over the area, about 10 miles northwest of Coldwater and moving northeast at 45 mph.
Tornado emergencies are the most extreme form of a warning and only issued when a tornado threatens catastrophic damage and loss of life, often in a populated area.
According to the Storm Prediction Center, at least 10 tornadoes were reported in Michigan on Tuesday. The size of softballs was also reported in some parts of the state.
According to poweroutage.us, as of early Wednesday, more than 30,000 homes and businesses in Michigan were without power.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said her heart was going out to those impacted by the severe weather in southwest Michigan. The governor declared a state of emergency for Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, Branch and Cass counties, she said Tuesday night.
