‘Gaylord gone. Tornado’: Intense video shows how powerful EF-3 tornado was

‘I thought it was a great video but it was scary’

GAYLORD, Mich. – New video shows just how powerful the deadly EF-3 tornado in Gaylord was.

The tornado touched down on Friday (May 20) killing two people and injuring dozens of others.

The video shows debris flying, trees bending and large objects rolling as the up to 140 mph winds tear through Gaylord.

The camera was in the back window of an SUV. The woman who owns the home was there with her mother.

Her husband was on a fishing trip with barely any cellphone service. He only got one message from his wife.

“‘Gaylord gone. Tornado’ and that was it and I thought, I grabbed my stuff, told my two brothers, we gotta go,” he said.

The damage is one thing, but watching the video he realizes his wife and mother-in-law were just feet from death.

“I thought it was a great video but it was scary, you know,” he said.

Video also shows footage from inside the garage.

“It only lasted like eight seconds -- then I heard the tree fall and I thought we were gone,” she said.

The family is now without electricity, heat, or plumbing.

His son is in critical condition awaiting back surgery, his daughter-in-law is also in the hospital

His son was struck by a washing machine that flew through the mobile home park. The son and daughter-in-law were buried under rubble and neighbors had to dig them out to get them to a hospital.

Read: Taking a look at the aftermath of the tornado that struck Gaylord


About the Authors

Nick joined the Local 4 team in February of 2015. Prior to that he spent 6 years in Sacramento covering a long list of big stories including wildfires and earthquakes. Raised in Sterling Heights, he is no stranger to the deep history and pride Detroit has to offer.

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.

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