Gaylord tornado kills 2, injures 44: What we know

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency Friday in Otsego County after a tornado touched down in Gaylord and tore through the northern Michigan town, killing two people and injuring dozens.

The tornado left considerable wreckage in its wake, including collapsed commercial and residential buildings, downed power lines and crushed vehicles.

Declaring a state of emergency makes available all state resources in cooperation with local response and recovery efforts in the area. It authorizes Michigan State Police, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division to coordinate state efforts a and beyond what has already been done in conjunction with local agencies.

Residents of Gaylord, which has a population of about 3,600, surveyed the wreckage Saturday morning, and began the grueling process of cleaning up the damage.

Laurie Noa hauled broken tree branches from her yard to the street Saturday morning near her house close to Gaylord's central business corridor. She said she first saw warnings about the storm on television. The tornado came through quick.

"It was loud, like a train roaring," she said. "It was very stressful ... I've never been through one."

For residents who need help, MSP said a shelter is located at E-Free Church in Gaylord located at 1649 E. M-32, and the Red Cross will be there as well.

2 dead, dozens injured

At least 44 people were treated at nearby hospitals for their injuries from the tornado: 23 patients were treated at Otsego Memorial Hospital in Gaylord, 12 at Grayling Hospital, eight at McLaren Northern Michigan Petoskey and one at Munson Medical Center in Traverse City, according to a tweet from Michigan State Police.

Two people were killed by the storm, according to MSP.

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Authorities also created a hotline for missing people.

Those concerned about missing people in the region can call 989-705-3780. It's unclear still how many people are missing in and around Gaylord after the storm.

What led to the storm

Gaylord was the victim of several weather variables coming together all at once in a rare event for northern Michigan, according to the National Weather Service.

The agency reported wind gusts as high as 76 mph.

A low pressure system west of Lake Michigan helped create conditions ripe for severe weather Friday evening and afternoon, according to NWS.

As the weather system moved across the Midwest, the storm turned into what's called a supercell thunderstorm, a type of storm that can produce conditions for damage, including high winds and the kind of tornado that ripped through Gaylord.

Posen, a small village in northern Michigan, received baseball-sized hail during the storm, according to NWS.

What was damaged

The main business corridor of Gaylord was hit hard.

The roof of the Hobby Lobby was ripped off. Traffic lights stopped working.

Photos also showed damage to an Aldi Grocery Store, with debris crowding a crushed entranceway.

A Goodwill Store in Gaylord was also damaged. The Goodwill's sign was torn from the building, and metal is strewn all over the property. Many cars in the parking lot have shattered windows.

Little Caesar's appears to be heavily damaged. So does Jimmy John's.

Quaker State Oil completely collapsed into a pile of debris.

The town is also inundated with downed power lines and trees. Authorities have warned residents to stay at least 25 feet away from downed power lines.

Christine MacDonald contributed to this report.

Contact Lily Altavena: laltavena@freepress.com or follow her on Twitter @LilyAlta.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Gaylord tornado: What we know about death, injuries, damage