GAYLORD, Mich. — A second person died in a rare tornado that hit a small community in northern Michigan, state police said Saturday.
According to Lt. Derrick Carroll, the person was in his 70s and lived at a mobile home park.
At 3:45 PM Friday, the tornado hit Gaylord (a town of approximately 4,200 inhabitants) about 230 miles (370 kilometers) north of Detroit.
Over 40 were hurt.
Carroll stated that the tornado struck the Nottingham mobile home park first.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has declared an emergency in Otsego County. This means that additional state resources are available for the county.
Extreme spring winds in this area are rare because of the Great Lakes sucking energy from storms. This is especially true early in the season, when the lakes can be very cold. Jim Keysor (Gaylord-based meteorologist for the National Weather Service) said.
“Many kids and young adults would have never experienced any direct severe weather if they had lived in Gaylord their entire lives,” he said.
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