The roofs and walls of a busy business district have become tangled ruins. Mobile homes are destroyed. Tornadoes are so uncommon in northern Michigan that Gaylord doesn’t have a siren system to warn people of dangerous weather.
The 4,200-strong city turned to clean-up on Saturday, a day after a 140-mile-long tornado hit Gaylord, killing two people, injuring more than 40 and shocking residents who are more familiar with snowstorms than spring storms. .
A utility company has made great progress in restoring electricity, although thousands still have no electricity. Some roads were clogged with removed poles and other debris.
“We have a lot of debris to clean up,” said Police Lt. Derrick Carroll.
Two people, about 70 years old, who lived in the mobile home park in Nottingham Forest, have died, state police said. This was among the first places affected by the tornado, which was rated EF3 by the National Weather Service on a scale of 0-5.
“There were trailers that were raised and turned on top of each other. It’s just a very large field of rubble, “said Chris Martin, chief of fire in Otsego County. Martin said the crews used heavy equipment to conduct a secondary search of the area.
He said there was “probably 95% destruction”.
Gaylord, about 230 miles (370 kilometers) northwest of Detroit and two hours south of Sault Ste. Marie is a popular destination for skiers and snowmobiles in winter and golfers in summer. He has no tornado sirens, although anyone with a cell phone received a “red code” warning from the weather service about 10 minutes before the tornado struck, Carol said.
A video posted online shows a dark cloud in a funnel approaching as anxious drivers watch or slowly walk away on roads in the area.
“Everyone in Michigan will embrace these families and everyone who works together to recover here,” Michigan Governor Lt. Garlin Gilchrist said during a visit.
Betty Wisniewski, 87, escaped injuries, although the tornado significantly damaged her house, said Steve Wisniewski’s son, who lives next door.
“Fortunately, she was fine with a rosary in hand,” he said from the ladder as he attached plastic to his windows. “She was praying. Admirable. “
Gaylord Police Chief Frank Kleis said the immediate aftermath of the tornado was difficult for the first responders.
“We were looking for places where we know the inhabitants. We called them by name, “Klais said. “It’s much more personal when our employees know the people who live in these homes.”
John Boris of the Gaylord Weather Service said the tornado had passed through the community in about three minutes, but had been on the ground in the region for 26 minutes – “quite a long time”.
“We don’t get a lot of tornadoes,” said Boris, a science and operations officer. “In the state of Michigan, in general, we are usually on average about 15 or so (per year) and more of them are in the lower part of the state than in the north. That’s pretty unusual. “
In fact, the last notable storm was in 1998, when winds of 100 mph in a straight line shook Gaylord.
Boris said warm, 80-degree air earlier on Friday and strong winds blowing east across Lake Michigan were key conditions causing the tornado.
The link to climate change is probably not appropriate, he said.
“It is very difficult to attribute something very specific like this to such a large-scale signal,” Boris said. “If we had them more often, it could be a signal.”
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