The City of Gaylord in northern Michigan was hit by a tornado just before 4pm Friday
Images on social media show widespread damage, and Jim Fizer of the National Weather Service says the tornado struck the western part of the city, including many commercial buildings.
According to the Michigan State Police, injured people are being transported by ambulance to area hospitals. While injuries have been reported, there were no confirmed fatalities as of 6pm.
“We know that there was a lot of damage a lot of businesses a lot of homes, there's debris that's blocking a number of roads you can't even get into a lot of areas right now because there's so much debris and we have heard there are some injuries," Fizer said. "We don't have the details of that there's stories of people being at one point sort of trapped in buildings and having to be rescued out of them.”
The Weather Service has sent a storm survey team to examine the damage and assess what category of tornado caused the disaster. Several injuries were reported via law enforcement radio, and search and rescue efforts are underway.
Casey Buckleitner is the President of the Gaylord Downtown Merchants Association. He said based on what he's hearing, he fears the worst.
"I'm just afraid we're going to hear bad news about someone we know, that something happened to them," Buckleitner said. "I mean, losing your house is really bad, but losing a loved one or a pet or something like that. That's the kind of situation it is, where it looks like that's a possibility."
There are reports of damage to an area mobile home park, and many overturned vehicles in the area as well. First responders from across northern Michigan are making their way to Gaylord to help with search and rescue efforts.