Rebuilding, healing continue a year after devastating tornado in Gaylord

GAYLORD — Anyone who was in Gaylord or Otsego County on May 20, 2022 will likely remember that day for the rest of their lives.

A rare tornado ripped through the area on that busy Friday afternoon at 3:48 p.m. It left two people dead, 44 injured and produced extensive damage to commercial and residential areas in the city. The National Weather Service (NWS) rated the storm at EF-3, with maximum winds of up to 150 mph.

The tornado initially touched down on Alba Road near the line separating Antrim and Otsego counties and then jumped to pummel the Nottingham Forest Mobile Home Park off of M-32 West, according to the NWS.

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Both fatalities from the storm were discovered in the park, which was almost completely wrecked. Officials declined to release the names of the injured or deceased. The tornado took three minutes to race through Gaylord, moving at about 55 miles per hour. An NWS official said the storm was on the ground for about 26 minutes. Typically, most tornadoes are only on the ground for a couple of minutes.

One year later after the loss of life, injuries and destruction, there are signs of rebirth in Gaylord, including new buildings and homes. There are also vacant lots and small piles of debris that still serve as reminders of the day's destruction. Meanwhile, individuals are left to deal with the physical and mental scars. The rebuilding, which began almost immediately after the storm, includes signs of progress and a healing process that carries on today.

Reflections

When asked what he would like people to think about a year after the storm, Gaylord Police Chief Frank Claeys offered these thoughts.

"I went to an event for Habitat for Humanity in the fall and at the time for me it (the tornado) was very much over," he said. "Things in my life had pretty much gotten back to normal. I remember seeing some people that had permanent disabilities as a result of injuries from the storm and I was really taken back and it showed that for some, their lives will probably never revert back to normal. Everyone remembers the two people that were killed, but many forget that for the 44 who were injured, some will never be the same."

Gaylord Mayor Todd Sharrard added "I want people to remember the hundreds of people who showed up in Gaylord after the storm from all over the region and the state to help us begin the cleanup process. The generosity that was on display was truly an amazing scene."

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Dana Bensinger, executive director at the Otsego Community Foundation (OCF), would like everyone to think about the power of community.

"Whether that is everyone within (the zip code of) 49735 or all of our neighbors that helped with monetary gifts, talent or time, we all have gifts to share in our community and when we share them it makes this a better place whether it is during a time of need or when we are thriving," Bensinger said.

Right after the tornado, Bensinger and the OCF established a tornado relief fund to help everyone deal with the costs of the storm. Last summer, the fund swelled to $1.6 million and Bensinger said donations came in from Northern Michigan, the state, nation and even from Canada and Mexico.

As of May 12, Bensinger said there is about $350,000 left in the fund.

"The initial (outlay) was for immediate needs and then we moved into short-term recovery and we are wrapping up that phase right now. We were focused on getting survivors back to where they were before the tornado," Bensinger said. "The last chunk is for long-term rebuilding and we are looking at some different options to make us stronger for the future."

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One of the lessons Sharrard said he learned from the experience was the omnipresence of the news media.

"The way the media gets involved when there is a catastrophic event is unbelievable. I was extremely busy with the media updating," he recalled. "Personally I was impressed by the way the community and the city came together and just went right to work. This team and the emergency center with Jon Deming and our state police, and EMS — they all ran that emergency center in an impressive manner. At the end of the day as a community, it makes me feel real comfortable knowing we have such great people and resources to call on when we really need them."

Claeys said "I always kew that our department was an amazing police department. And I also knew our city staff and DPW were amazing. I knew that I lived in an amazing community but the most amazing thing was just seeing how everyone stepped up, whether it was the first responders or the citizens. It was inspiring to watch."

The rebuilding

If there was a ground zero in the devastating storm, Nottingham Forest was probably it. Huge piles of debris were scattered around the park and almost all of the residents were forced to find alternative housing after the storm.

Today, almost all of the debris has been cleaned up and many of the homes in the park have been repaired or replaced. New residents like Nate and Jessi Kurily have moved in. The Kurilys and their children took over a rehabilitated trailer last Christmas after losing their Gaylord home in the tornado. The trailer was renovated by volunteer crews courtesy of the Otsego-Antrim Habitat for Humanity chapter, funds from the relief fund and sweat equity provided by the Kurilys.

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Once the storm left Nottingham Forest, it ran through many of the commercial buildings on West M-32 or Main Street. The Hobby Lobby, Jimmy Johns, Maurices, Little Caesars Pizza, the Goodwill store and others were either destroyed or heavily damaged.

Some like the Aldi food store were repaired and reopened a couple of months after the storm while Performance Plus Quick Oil Change was completely demolished but came back in a new building constructed on the exact space it occupied before the storm.

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"We learned that we are not invincible and that things like this can happen in Gaylord. (The rebuilding) is not a sprint, it is a marathon," Bensinger said. "We have made so much progress in recovery but we have a ways to go. Recently, I was walking on a trail near the St. Mary's baseball fields and there were these big beautiful red pines and the top halves are just gone. But on the other side of the trail I noticed for the first time a huge sheet of metal siding wrapped around a tree. I walked there many times since the tornado and never saw that so it was just one little reminder that we still have work to do."

A screening of a locally-produced documentary on the tornado and the aftermath from Ryan Bentley of Bentley's Photography and J. David Parrett of Parrett Media will occur at 6 p.m. on May 19 at the Gaylord Cinema on M-32 West. The event is free and open to the public.

— Contact Paul Welitzkin at pwelitzkin@gaylordheraldtimes.com.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Rebuilding, healing continue after Gaylord's tornado of May 2022