One Of The Deadliest Tornados Of All Time Happened In This Michigan City
Mother nature can be so beautiful at times.
Nothing beats a beautiful sunset on the Lake Michigan shoreline.
Or looking at a vibrant rainbow after a storm. But at other times like this past Friday, December 10th, Mother Nature can be scary and unpredictable.
Late Friday night into the early hours of Saturday, December 11th, a massive tornado originated in Arkansas and traveled more than 220 miles on the ground before ending in Kentucky. That distance is so great that if it is confirmed by the National Weather Service, it will be the longest continuous distance ever traveled by a tornado.
The tornado is believed to have been an EF-3 tornado, which according to weather.gov means severe damage. Roofs and walls can be torn from well-constructed houses; trains overturned; trees in forested areas can be uprooted; heavy cars can be lifted and thrown. It can produce winds of 136 to 165 mph.
At least 100 people are feared dead in Kentucky according to Reuters.
The tornado is believed to have torn through five states and affected residents in at least six states.
These images from Kentucky are absolutely devastating and heartbreaking.
If you would like to help the people affected by this tornado you are encouraged to donate to these verified GoFundMe Accounts
One Of The Deadliest Tornados Of All Time Happened In This Michigan City
Living in Michigan, we also face the threat of severe weather, and tornadoes are a possibility, but I had no clue that a city in Michigan actually suffered one of the worst tornadoes of all time.
According to the Flint Public Library, at about 8:30 pm, on Monday evening, June 8, 1953, a tornado touched down near the intersection of W. Coldwater and North Linden roads, just north of Flint. Before the storm left Genesee County, 116 people died in the Beecher district. A one-half-mile-wide track of destruction was left.
Most people living in the area were at home with the children in bed. By the time people heard the storm's roar their houses were being torn apart.
The slow-moving tornado wrecked 340 houses, severely damaged many others, and injured 844 persons. The major damage was concentrated between Clio Road & N. Dort Hwy. This area contained mostly small homes with some businesses and a high school.
The Beecher tornado was the last single tornado to cause over 100 deaths in the United States. It is ranked the 9th deadliest tornado in U. S. history.
Video Interview of Tornado Survivor and nurse who tended to injured people
LOOK: The most expensive weather and climate disasters in recent decades
Gallery Credit: KATELYN LEBOFF
Heartbreaking Scenes from Oxford High School Michigan Shooting
Gallery Credit: getty images
50 Newish Restaurants & Bars In West Michigan You Should Check Out
Gallery Credit: Big Joe Pesh