West Michigan community bands together in aftermath of EF-2 tornado
PORTAGE, Mich. — Clean up is under way across West Michigan after severe storms and tornadoes tore through the area Tuesday evening.
The National Weather Service rated the tornado that moved through Portage as an EF-2 with maximum winds of 135 mph.
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Timbercreek Ct. in Portage is where the National Weather Service says the worst damage occurred.
“I felt like a bomb blew up over here," Alex Santiheo, a resident on Timbercreek Ct., said. "That’s exactly what it looks like."
Ronie Thurmand also lives along Timbercreek Ct. and was in his apartment when the tornado passed through.
"All of a sudden, it hit our apartment, it broke out all our windows, blew everything off the walls and it was banging against the basement door," Thurmand explained. "I was thinking, am I going to get out of here alive or not, but we did."
After riding out the storm, Thurmand could not believe what he saw when he stepped outside.
"It was overwhelming when I went outside and saw that all the neighbors," Thurmand said. "Their apartments were gone. The top floor was gone. Our first thought was to run and see if anybody was hurt."
Thurmand helped rescue a lady buried in the rubble of her home. He even helped a neighbor who went into labor during the storm get to first responders.
Thurmand wasn’t the only one helping out; the entire community came together.
“Some of these people I’ve never seen in my life were out here helping each other," Santiheo said. "They were sweeping, getting nails and shingles off, one guy brought his wagon over and helped me get some of my important items out of my home. You just saw a lot of comradery here, and that was a very nice thing to see, especially in troubled times like this.”