50 People Trapped Inside FedEx Facility After Michigan Tornadoes

All were eventually evacuated, with no serious injuries reported
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted May 8, 2024 1:00 AM CDT
Michigan Tornadoes Trap 50 People Inside FedEx Facility
Debris is seen from a damaged FedEx facility after a tornado in Portage, Mich., Tuesday, May 7, 2024.   (Brad Devereaux/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)

As many as 50 people were trapped inside a FedEx facility in Portage, Michigan, after tornadoes hit the area Tuesday night and the building partially collapsed. Everyone eventually made it out, and no serious injuries were reported, though the facility itself was severely damaged, WWMT reports. Officials believe two tornadoes tore through the area, but the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office says there were no reports of any deaths, MLive reports. Sixteen people received non-severe injuries when mobile homes were "tossed around" in a mobile home community, one of them flipping over into a street and another falling into a second mobile home. Seventeen mobile homes were completely demolished, and 173 were were damaged in some way.

"Our thoughts are with those affected by the tornado in Portage, Michigan, and we are grateful there were no serious injuries resulting from the damage to our facility at 6701 Portage Road," FedEx said in a statement. "We continue to assess the damage, and we are implementing contingency plans to lessen any potential impacts on service. Customers with questions about their shipments can check fedex.com for updates." At least six tornado reports were made in Michigan Tuesday, per CNN, and millions in the Midwest were under tornado warnings Tuesday night. Twisters were also confirmed in Indiana and Ohio, the Washington Post reports. (More Michigan stories.)

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