Three people killed and three hospitalized as Michigan town hit by tornado | Michigan
Three people were killed and three others were hospitalized after a tornado hit a southern Michigan town on Friday, authorities said.
While warnings were issued in the southern part of the state, powerful storms ripped through the state, blowing off the roof of a home improvement store, blowing away parts of a warehouse building and downing trees.
The Branch County Sheriff’s Office reported that 12 people were injured and three people died after the tornado hit the Union City area, about 200 kilometers west of Detroit.
In St. Joseph County, near Michigan’s border with Indiana, the sheriff’s office told residents to “seek shelter immediately” after confirmed reports of a tornado hitting Union City around 4:40 p.m., a severe thunderstorm watch and possible winds of more than 60 mph.
“Citizens should anticipate power outages, road closures and/or neighborhoods, and cellular/internet outages,” Michigan state police said in a social media post.
Lisa Nicola can be heard screaming “Oh my God” repeatedly from her back deck at her home near Union City as she filmed a violent column of swirling air that appeared to be a tornado tearing apart part of the buildings across the lake.
As it grows in size, it pulls large pieces of debris into the air, saying: “It’s lifting houses.”
“Oh my heart is pounding,” he says in the video. “Oh, I hope they’re okay.”
The state activated its emergency operations center as authorities responded to reports of severe wind damage and injuries in several counties in southwest Michigan.
Strong storms were forming in Michigan and into North Texas on Friday afternoon. There were no immediately confirmed reports of a tornado on the ground, but many videos posted online showed violent, swirling columns of air over Michigan.
In an eerie scene captured on video Thursday, first responders navigated the storm near the western Oklahoma town of Fairview; Here flashes of lightning illuminated a giant funnel that appeared to reach the ground. This storm, one of the first outbreaks of severe weather on the cusp of spring storm season, was captured by a camera mounted on the deputy’s car.
Nearby, a 47-year-old woman from Fairview and her 13-year-old daughter were found dead in a vehicle at the intersection of a highway and a county road around 10 p.m. on Thursday, officials said. Oklahoma Highway Patrol spokeswoman Sarah Stewart said in a statement that the crash “appears to be tornado-related.”
“Severe weather hit Major County last night, tragically claiming the lives of a mother and daughter,” Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt said in a statement Friday. “I pray for the family who are grieving this tragic loss and for everyone affected by the storm.”
The National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma, plans to send a damage survey team Friday to see if Thursday night’s storms were tornadoes, meteorologist Ryan Bunker said. “As of now, we are still investigating this.”
More than 7 million Americans were at highest risk from severe weather on Friday in a region that includes metro areas of Kansas City, Missouri; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Omaha, Nebraska, according to the national Storm Prediction Center. About 25 million people in the region covering Dallas, Oklahoma City and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, were slightly less at risk.
