THREE RIVERS, Mich. -- The Menards store in Three Rivers, Michigan showed extensive damage after a strong tornado tore through the town.
The tornado took its toll on other businesses as well, the damage and debris spread far and wide on a Friday afternoon in March. One mechanic saw the storm tear through the hardest hit areas.
"I was getting ready to do an oil change on a customer's truck. My coworker came running, and he's like, lock her down. His chair blew across the shop, and I got papers flying everywhere, and I had never seen a tornado in person before," said Benjamin Ruden, a local mechanic.
After the tornado had passed his shop, Ben tried to go check in on his coworker’s house to make sure everything was okay.
"With all the traffic and power lines on, it probably took me an hour to get there, and then I was just walking around checking things out, making sure people were all right." said Ruden.
The traffic was a major issue for first responders and crews trying to clear the scene.
The St Joesph County sheriff's office is urging residents to avoid traveling to and around the Three Rivers area and to avoid unsound structures as well as power lines and trees.