Buildings destroyed, trees down after tornadoes in SW MI – MASHAHER

PORTAGE, Mich. (WOOD) — Residents are dealing with the damage following multiple tornadoes in southwest Michigan.

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Most of the damage happened in the Portage area in Kalamazoo County and in Centreville in St. Joseph County.

Storm Team 8 tracked a tornado in the Centreville area around 5:50 p.m. St. Joseph County dispatch confirmed to News 8 a potential tornado touched in Centreville.

At Main Street and Eleanor Drive in Centreville, a News 8 crew saw uprooted trees and debris from the damaged roof of nearby Nottawa Gas Company scattered through the area.

“They just moved back here within the year or so, and they sustained some pretty heavy damage on all their buildings back here,” St. Joseph County Undersheriff Jason Bingaman told News 8. “We’ll have to see what the overall damage is, but they’ve got extensive damage.”

He said several buildings, both residential and commercial, have been damaged. There have been no reports of fatalities or serious injuries, he said, and first responders are working to make sure people are safe.

“When the storm came in it was pretty chaotic,” he said. “It moved through here quickly, but it created a lot of damage in its path.”

In Portage, Storm Team 8 tracked a large tornado around 6 p.m. Around 7:30 p.m., another tornado warning was issued for Kalamazoo County, a tornado touched down and Storm Team 8 tracked that twister as it cut through the area.

A News 8 crew on scene in the Portage area saw significant damage to a FedEx facility. The roof was damaged, as were multiple loading docks. No one was hurt in the facility, workers told News 8, and everyone in the building was accounted for.

The building opened in May of 2022 on Portage Road and was double the size of the company’s former ship center on Sprinkle Road, according to the facility’s senior manager when it opened. More than 400 employees worked there at its opening two years ago.

Jeff Nazarians, who lives nearby, said he has never seen rain switched directions so fast.

“We just saw everything was just spinning and the water on the ground was spinning. So we just ran to the bathroom That’s what we did, we just took shelter. But now coming out everything is a mess. It’s crazy,” he said.

At Pavilion Estates, a mobile home park in the Portage area, people walked through a field to get into the park, which was blocked off. Storm Team 8 saw multiple first responders on scene, including three ambulances.

Many people were displaced and gathered at a nearby gas station. The park is blocked off, and residents tell News 8 the facility is trying to contain a gas leak and look for anyone who may be injured in the debris.

“It is absolute destruction in there. And there are trailers completely gone. There are trees down … There are gonna be a lot of people with no homes tonight,” said resident Taylor Kuehl. “It shows the force of nature and how quick it can change and unfortunately, you know a lot of families in here just trying to make day by day survival and they just lost everything.”

There are also several trees down in the area, and viewer video shows damage to other businesses in the Portage area.

Jude’s Barbershop location on Centre Road was hit by the reported tornado, according to a social media post.

“Luckily, everyone is safe,” Jude’s Barbershop wrote.

The Portage Department of Public Safety is asking people to avoid travel in the city. The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety reported no significant injuries or damage within the city of Kalamazoo.

Around 6:15 p.m., a tornado emergency was issued for Union City in Branch County. A tornado emergency is a rare, severe warning.

The areas of tightest rotation were captured on radar.

The first tornado’s path, which likely caused more significant damage, was most pronounced in Portage. There was a possible touchdown in parts of northern Cass County and southern Van Buren County. The second tornado’s path most likely caused damaged in the Centreville area and north of Colon.

The storms and tornadoes caused power outages in West Michigan. The Consumers Energy map shows 27,041 customers in Michigan without power. The following West Michigan counties had more than 100 Consumers Energy customers without power as of 9:40 p.m.:

• Barry County: 520

• Branch County: 660

• Calhoun County: 139

• Kalamazoo County: 20,178

• Muskegon County: 198

• St. Joseph County: 4,700

Bingaman reminded people to stay away from downed power lines. If you see one, assume it is energized and call 911 and Consumers Energy at 800.477.5050.

Portage Public Schools announced it would close the district as well as Curious Kids and Prime Time Childcare on Wednesday so families and the community could “begin to recover from tonight’s storms,” it wrote in a social media post. “Be safe and take care.”

— News 8’s Anna Skog, Blake Harms and Katie Rosendale contributed to this report.

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