THE shocking moment a couple desperately tried to outrun a tornado before they were caught by the winds was captured on video this weekend.
The couple was driving through a storm in Michigan that destroyed homes and resulted in the deaths of two people.
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Tornados are so rare in the northern Michigan town of Gaylord that the town doesn’t have a siren system to warn people about the hazardous weather.
“”In the state of Michigan, in general, we typically average about 15 or so (a year) and more of those are downstate than they are up to the north. It’s pretty unusual.” John Boris, a science and operations officer told NPR.
Residents with a cell phone did get a “code red” warning about then minutes before the tornado hit, however.
The unidentified woman recorded the extreme weather conditions as the tornado headed toward her car.
She is heard saying “I don’t know what to do” and “Oh my God” as she and her partner tried to outrun the fast pacing winds and navigate through flying debris.
At one point, the woman was heard crying and saying “Oh God, it’s hitting us” as the tornado swirled around them outside.
The couple pulled over and took cover in a car wash to wait for the winds to pass, USA Today reported.
Deadly weather conditions were seen throughout the US this past week.
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The tornado, that touched down in Michigan on Friday, killed two and injured at least 44 others. The tornado had winds reaching up to 140mph that damaged the community.
“There have been trailers picked up and turned over on top of each other. Just a very large debris field,” Chris Martin, Otsego County fire chief told NPR.
One resident, Steve Wisniewski, said that his mother Betty Wisniewski’s house was severely damaged by the tornado but thankfully she was unharmed.
Gaylord Police Chief Frank Claeys told NPR that first responders had a difficult time navigating the tornado at first.
“We were searching in places where we knew the occupants. We were calling them out by name,” Claeys told NPR.
After the tornado, more than 14,000 people were without power and by Saturday morning that number decreased to 4,700 as reported by MLive.
Michigan governor, Gretchen Whitmer, issued a state of the emergency for Otsego County.
On Monday, the small town of Morton, Texas, also endured a tornado, with winds that reached up to 70mph.
No injuries or deaths were reported from that weather event.
People were directed to find shelter in a basement or in the lowest floor of a sturdy building.
Chad Casey, a storm chaser, recorded the tornado describing it as an “absolute monster.”
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