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ARENAC COUNTY, Mich. (WNEM) — One woman had to be rescued after storms rolled through Point Au Gres Marina and Campground in Arenac County Tuesday night, dropping a tree on her camper.
The sound of chainsaws could be heard throughout the area on Wednesday as people worked to cut up trees and remove debris.
One woman told TV5 a tree fell on her camper, about three feet from where she was sitting inside.
“It was pretty scary,” said Nancy Rathbun, camper. “The trailer moved and then it was just a sudden pushing me forward. And that was it and that’s how I stayed.”
She wasn’t hurt, but TV5 was told it took about 15 to 20 minutes for people to rescue her.
“They came after through the rain and ripped off the side and came and got me. I was fine. I was just fine,” Rathbun said.
Her friend, Diane Feldpausch, recalled those anxious moments waiting for her neighbor to be freed.
“How frightening it would be to be there. I’m just glad she’s OK,” Feldpausch said.
Damage is scattered throughout the campground, but the campers are keeping a positive attitude.
“Mother nature cleaned house here. We’ll all be fine. Everything’s great. It will be fine,” Feldpausch said.
While Rathbun said she is fine, the same can’t be said for her car. She said another tree totaled her vehicle.
The winds also turned Mike Harrold’s boat upside down at the marina.
“It’s covered under insurance, hopefully for the best,” Harrold said.
Residents all along Green Drive near the marina spent their time cleaning up storm damage that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Ashmin Stamm was home when a tree fell on his roof.
“I was praying that my bedroom upstairs didn’t get destroyed,” Stamm said.
He said it was a night he won’t forget.
“It was really loud. It sounded similar to a train with the wind. It was shaking the house,” Stamm said.
There are no confirmed reports a tornado was responsible for this mess, but don’t tell that to Dan Bartlett.
“There were three water spouts through the lightning on the water,” Bartlett said.
He watches over his neighbor’s house. The structure sustained significant damage due to the storm.
“When I saw this I was bummed out, but what are you going to do? We’re alive,” Bartlett said.
As for Harrold, he said he never expected a storm that intense to hit the area. He is just glad everyone is OK.
“Thank god nobody got hurt. That’s all I can say,” Harrold said.
No injuries have been reported.
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