WMUK News

One year after the May 7 tornado, Kalamazoo County is still rebuilding

WMUK | By Michael Symonds

Published May 6, 2025 at 3:09 PM EDT

A long gray strip mall stands in the middle of an empty parking lot. The building is clearly still under construction, with house wrap and wood still bare on the the roof. Signs reading "For Rent" also hang in two of the many windows, with a light green portable toilet sits at the left of the picture, next to the structure. — A strip mall on West Centre Avenue in Portage. It was destroyed during the May 7 tornado, but is now close to being rebuilt.

Wednesday marks one year since a tornado ripped through Texas Township, Portage and Pavilion Township. Portage will mark the event with a ceremony.

On May 7, 2024, a tornado tore through Kalamazoo County, damaging hundreds of homes including about 300 in Portage.

In Pavilion Township, 106 homes were affected by the disaster, with 45 being totally destroyed.

When asked how the township has recovered from the damage, Pavilion Township Supervisor John Speeter directed WMUK to Pavilion Estates, the mobile home park which suffered the brunt of the devastation in that community.

Pavilion Estates' owner, Yes Communities, did not respond to a request for comment.

Texas Township also saw damage, with 95 homes damaged and six destroyed.

Portage Chief Operating Officer Adam Herringa said the city has issued hundreds of building permits for properties damaged in the tornado, with all but a handful making progress.

But he said there's still work to be done, as residents continue to rebuild their businesses and lives.

“It's not just the physical mark that you see with damaged structures and tree damage or what have you, but also an emotional toll on the community that it was a very traumatic event that we're continuing to respond to.”

The top half of a white sided house was blown off completely by a tornado that touched down in Portage on May 7. The screen door is still on it's hinges, but the entire wall to the right of the screen door is gone. A white car and a black SUV are parked in a parking pad to the right of the driveway. The trunk of the black SUV seems to have blown open, or perhaps it is debris from another metal object blown by the tornedo. To the right of the house is a shambles. From this angle it looks like the entire contents of the house was duped on the driveway and to the right of the house in a large pile. Trees in the background are knocked over or stripped of all foliage. — A house in Portage, in the path of the tornado, was left completely destroyed. Despite the destruction, there were no fatalities and no life-threatening injuries from the May 7 tornado.

On Wednesday, the city plans to commemorate the disaster at the Celery Flats park.

Herringa said the event will not just serve as a reminder of the devastation, but also the community's response.

“You want to remember what happened, you want to remember the community response, you want to also remember so you can be prepared for the future because weather is fickle and you never know when it might happen again.”

Volunteers, along with other recovery partners, will be recognized at the event.

“I'm proud of this community in the way that we have responded and continue to respond. Not only in the immediate aftermath of the tornado when we had hundreds of volunteers coming out, but in the long-term assistance that's being provided by the community and local not-for-profits,” Herringa said.

The city will also give out saplings and seedlings as a “symbol of renewal." Portage lost many trees in the storm.

Michael Symonds reports for WMUK through the Report for America national service program.