BRONSON, Mich. — Utility crews lined the street of a small block in the Village of Bronson, Branch County, after strong winds rushed through Wednesday evening.
Neighbors along Matteson St. were out on their porches in the aftermath, swapping stories of what they had witnessed and assessing the damage left behind by the storm: toppled trees, downed power lines, a shattered window, and a neighborhood without power.
The ‘strong’ storm, as described by residents, came through shortly after the village’s tornado siren sounded.
“We just heard a big roaring noise when the wind started and yeah, you couldn’t see nothing. It was that strong,” Kitty Barker told News Channel 3.
“The wind was really loud like a tornado. It sounded like a train going through.” Barker said after the storm passed, she and her husband stepped outside to look at the downed trees and noticed shattered glass in their front yard from a window several yards away.
While damage and power outage is an inconvenience, Barker said that for her neighbors across the street, a couple who relies on CPAPs, not having electricity is a bigger concern.
“She and I both are on CPAPs,” said Rick Zuck about he and his wife Judy. “We need that to run, and she’s on oxygen which runs off electricity,” he said.
The Zucks told News Channel 3 that they had spoken with Consumers Energy and were told it would take at least a day or two to get the power back on because a tree came down and split a nearby power pole, which would likely need to be replaced.
While talking about possible alternative solutions with the Zucks, Rick remembered an old unit his son-in-law had given them. Within the hour, he managed to get it running, providing electricity and relief as night fell and power remained out for the rest of the street.
Another neighbor, a family from Venezuela who had just moved into town last year, had the top half of a large tree come crashing over their fence from a neighbor’s yard.
The homeowner said that he hurried home from work after receiving a picture from his wife and daughter showing the tree down in their backyard. Using a translator app, the man told News Channel 3 that he was not sure who to go to for help in this situation. “What I hope is that the city cooperate with me and help me,” he said.
Many of the neighbors recalled experiencing other damaging storms in recent years and mentioned how fortunate they all feel that they’ve always been okay.
“It’s a good little town,” Barker said.
Consumers Energy was on scene well into the night. For updated information as crews work to restore power, check out this outage map.
