Widespread damage following Tuesday storm

Areas of St. Joseph and Branch counties, and elsewhere in Southwest Michigan, are recovering from damage caused by a fierce storm that ripped through the area late Tuesday afternoon.

St. Joseph County Undersheriff Jason Bingaman reported power outages and widespread damage, including exceptionally heavy destruction in and around portions of Nottawa, Colon and Leonidas townships.

A pole barn adjacent to and owned by Nottawa Gas in Centreville was leveled. In addition, its contents were damaged. Meanwhile, a portion of the roof of Nottawa Gas itself was stripped from the building. The business opened at its Centreville location last fall.

Elsewhere, witnesses reported heavy tree and structure damage off Wasepi Road in Nottawa Township, and in the area of Hodges and Colon roads in Colon Township. County officials are attempting to confirm if the damage was, in fact, the work of a tornado.

Bingaman said late Tuesday he is aware of at least three injuries, though none are life-threatening.

“I know one of them occurred when they were inside a structure that collapsed on them and they had facial lacerations; there was one related to an individual who was on oxygen and was struggling, either due to loss of electricity or damage to their structure,” he said. “And then there was one where it was an extremity injury. Not really sure how it happened.”

Bingaman said St. Joseph County Emergency Services Director Erin Goff led a briefing around 9 p.m. in Centreville. Bingaman said the priority into Tuesday night centered on making sure anyone injured is located and treated.

Next, he said some people will be displaced at least Tuesday night and likely many more nights. Making sure victims of storm damage have a safe place to stay would also be a priority.

By daybreak Wednesday, Bingaman said authorities will begin damage assessment.

“We’ll want to make sure roadways are cleared, any electrical lines that are down are being taken care of and people are staying out of harm’s way when it comes to downed powerlines,” Bingaman said.

Bingaman said while National Weather Service officials will ultimately determine how to classify Tuesday’s storms, he shared his opinion about the storm.

“I feel pretty confident that there were tornado activities here in St. Joseph County … I’ve seen several pictures of what look like traditional funnel clouds and several of my officers witnessed it, they saw it dropping from the sky and touching down,” Bingaman said. “But, that’s not a call for law-enforcement to make, that’s for the weather folks.”

Governor Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency for Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, Branch, and Cass counties after the severe storm system, including large hail up to 4 inches in diameter and at least two confirmed tornadoes, swept through the area leaving significant damage to buildings and roads.

“My heart goes out to all those impacted by tonight’s severe weather in southwest Michigan,” Whitmer said in a statement. “State and local emergency teams are on the ground and working together to assist Michiganders. I’ve declared a state of emergency to ensure resources are expedited to the area and activated our State Emergency Operations Center. We will continue monitoring the situation and coordinating efforts overnight. I want to thank all the first responders working hard to keep Michiganders safe. We’ll get through this together.”

By declaring a state of emergency, Whitmer has made available all state resources in cooperation with local response and recovery efforts in the designated area. The declaration authorizes the Michigan State Police, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division to coordinate state efforts above and beyond what MSP/EMHSD has already been doing in conjunction with local agencies.

This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Widespread damage following Tuesday storm