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Two dead, 44 injured after an EF-3 tornado tears through Michigan town, US
Two people were killed and at least 44 others were injured after an EF-3 tornado ripped through the northern Michigan town of Gaylord on Friday afternoon, 20 May 2022. The tornado left a long path of destruction with winds estimated by meteorologists to be around 150mph. More than 10 000 homes and businesses were without power in Otsego County early Saturday following the tornado, according to PowerOutage.us. By Sunday morning, power had been restored to 99 percent of customers, Michigan State Police said.
More than a dozen homes and up to 50 cars have been lost due to the tornado, Gaylord Mayor Todd Sharrard said, adding that cleanup efforts are underway. The community of Gaylord is very, very strong and it's tight-knit," Sharrard said. "The cleanup is happening as we speak right now. Between everybody and anybody that has a chainsaw or a rack or shovel is just out cleaning up our community." The National Weather Service said the tornado was first observed on radar near Elmira and moved northeast toward Gaylord. Just before 15h00. Eastern, a storm spotter reported the twister just west of Interstate 75, near the intersection of State Road 32 and Murner Road. Meteorologists believe the tornado was on the ground for 20 minutes, as it made its 16 mile trek through the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. According to poweroutage.us, about 11 000 customers lost power in the Gaylord area. Crews worked to restore most utilities by Saturday evening. Large hail was also reported in the area. There were reports of golf-ball-sized, egg-sized and baseball-sized stones. Governor declares state of emergency The tornado has been rated an EF-3 based on a preliminary damage survey from the National Weather Service. Weather service meteorologists are continuing their damage assessment and will release additional details as the survey continues. The twister hit west of the city centre near Interstate 75 and moved east-northeast, weather service meteorologist Sean Christensen said. Sources: Fox Weather, CNN |
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