One person is dead and dozens are injured after a tornado went through what an official calls a ‘busy downtown area’
Lt. Jim Gorno of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources described the scene in the area as being “catastrophic,” with cars flipped over and structures destroyed.
Munson Healthcare spokesperson Brian Lawson told CNN 23 injured patients were taken to Otsego Memorial Hospital and 12 to Grayling Hospital. Eight people were treated at other hospitals outside Munson system, he said.
The city is under a curfew, officials said.
“It is a busy downtown area, and it went right through it,” Gorno told CNN.
“We aren’t used to it up here,” he said. “We don’t have sirens like in other parts of the country.”
They also wrote, “Heavy damage throughout the area,” while posting photos of damage to a shopping center, a pizza place and a Goodwill location.
National Weather Service meteorologist Sean Christensen told CNN the twister hit west of the city center near Interstate 75 and moved east-northeast.
Gov. Gretchen Witmer said her heart goes out to the people impacted by the storm.
About 25,000 people live in Gaylord and Otsego County, according to the US Census Bureau. The village is about 235 miles north of Detroit.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
