After the tornado hit, Perry residents open up their homes, hearts to strangers in need
Just hours after a tornado ripped through Perry on Friday, Dan Ritter got on Facebook to offer "a place to lay your head" or a "cup of coffee" at his home to anyone who might need it. All he asked in his community group post was to private message him for the address.
Barb Francis commented: "Same here. Anyone is welcome."
At a time when America appears to be as divided as ever by politics, economics, gender, race and religion — folks like Ritter, Francis and others found a way to bring people together, opening their homes, sharing hot meals and helping with the cleanup.
And they used social media, a technology often criticized for inspiring the worst in society, to do it.
"I guess if there is a silver lining in the cloud, it brings back to mind how good people are," Perry Mayor Sue Hammond told the Free Press on Monday. "We get misdirected by the negative things we hear. But, I've seen so much positive over the last 48 hours that — even though I'm devastated by people's losses — I feel encouraged."
The city is about a 30-minutes drive northeast of Lansing, and, the mayor said, she felt buoyed by the support, not just from residents helping each other, but by businesses and surrounding communities, who lent a hand in so many different ways, including offering generators.
Hammond, a Perry native, said it is small city with a population of about 2,200. The school district is the biggest employer. It used to be very close-knit, but now — with residents working in other cities and more people moving in — not quite as much.
"People do watch out for each other," the 71-year-old mayor said. "They are not afraid to discipline their neighbor's kid: 'You shouldn't be climbing on there. Get down or I'm going to tell your mother.' It takes a village kind of thing. We're not always agreeing and getting along. But when there's something like this, people do reach out to each other."
And, she said, she saw how social media suddenly became a force for good.
The tornado — which was rated EF-1 on the weaker end of the Enhanced Fujita scale — downed power lines, tore large trees out of the ground and damaged buildings, including four public works buildings and the city hall. The veterans memorial pavilion was obliterated.
The National Weather Service said it was was the fifth twister to touchdown in Michigan this year. It hit just before 8 p.m. Friday with winds whirling of up to 95 mph, and went about three miles, clearing a path of more than four football fields wide.
It prompted the city to declare a state of emergency. It also inspired the best in many.
"It's amazing to see this community come together like we have," Amber Campbell posted on Sunday afternoon in the Perry Michigan Community Page. "We are a strong community and we can get through anything. God bless us all."
Perhaps it was the prospect facing injury, loss — and death that encouraged them.
For the 5-10 minutes the tornado tore through town people huddled in their basements and bathtubs. Perhaps it was because they lived in a relatively closely knit community in which social media posters feel comfortable asking the group things like, whether "Carl and Karen’s place got hit."
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"God bless you, my man!" one person commented on Ritter’s post. "This (is) how we make America great again with good people!"
Many others also praised the outpouring of generosity, saying that they were "blown away" by it — likely an unintended pun. They said they loved their community. They posted heart emojis, and, in a show of pride and nod to the local high school mascot, added "Go Ramblers."
Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: EF-1 tornado in Perry is 5th twister in Michigan in 2023
