Tornadoes kill four, injure more than a dozen in rural Michigan
Neighborhood in Union City, MI decimated by the tornado today. PHOTO: X
Tornadoes and strong storms killed at least four people and injured more than a dozen in southern Michigan on Friday, destroying multiple homes and leaving hundreds of residents without power, local authorities said.
Soon after the National Weather Service issued tornado warnings for the area on Friday, videos on social media claiming to be from the towns of Three Rivers and Union City showed massive whirlwinds tearing roofs off buildings and lifting debris into the air.
🚨 WATCH: Massive Tornado in Union City, Michigan.
🎥: @WSLPIG
pic.twitter.com/ovBGgpYgmULocal media footage showed smashed buildings and cars, and poles, trees and road signs that had been blown over.
Ominous rotating clouds seen in Michigan as a dangerous supercell thunderstorm moves through area.
Multiple Tornado Warnings were issued across parts of Michigan Saturday evening. https://t.co/cKOY8hgoEj pic.twitter.com/pg4MjvbZXgThree fatalities and a dozen injuries were reported in Branch County, where Union City is located, the county's sheriff's office said.
One person was killed, and several were injured in Cass County, according to local authorities there.
"Multiple large structures - including homes and pole barns - sustained damage ranging from major structural impacts to complete destruction," according to a statement on a website for Cass County.
Power outages had affected hundreds of people, local officials said.
"We have multiple utility poles down, transformers damaged, and long stretches of power lines on the ground. The north side of Union Lake sustained some of the most severe damage, with roughly two miles of line brought down in that area alone," according to a posting on Union City's official Facebook page that said restoration may take several days.
POWERFUL TORNADO TEARS THROUGH THREE RIVERS, MICHIGAN 🔥
Intense up-close footage shows the tornado ripping through the area with debris flying everywhere.
A Menards store collapsed during the storm. No word yet on casualties.
Stay safe out there.
SavageSince1776™ pic.twitter.com/nzeMMngHEaMichigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said she activated a State Emergency Operations Centre for monitoring the situation.
"The state is ready to fulfil any resource requests that may arise. We've yet to receive any just yet. It's sounding like the local response is and has been able to address what's been a very devastating afternoon and evening in southwest Michigan," Clayton Cummins, a spokesperson for Michigan emergency services and police, told Reuters.