KENT COUNTY, Michigan — On a muggy Thursday night, as Kent County high school football teams took the field for the first time this season, sirens blared in the air. Temperatures dropped. Rain poured down. The howling wind grew in strength.
One year ago today, an EF-1 tornado with wind speeds of 110 mph (177 km/h) left a 9-mile-long swath of destruction through the townships of Alpine and Plainfield, causing damage to businesses and homes.
The storm system spawned a total of seven tornadoes in Michigan and contributed to the deaths of five people, including three in a car crash in Kent County.
FOX17
READ MORE: Severe storms in West Michigan knock out power and leave a trail of devastation
“Devastating. I really have no words after seeing what happened,” said Tracie Lampe, the owner of Backyard Fun Zone in Kent County. “I came home and an hour later our business was gone.”
Backyard fun zone
The tornado almost completely destroyed the Playground Supply Store on Alpine Avenue. A portion of the street sign was found intact in a backyard five miles away.
“I just cried,” said Lampe. “It’s unbelievable that something you worked so hard for was destroyed within minutes.”
Backyard fun zone
Lampe and her husband “had no choice but to pursue our dream” and look for a new location. They wanted to be able to store their equipment indoors and host events.
“I truly believe that this is the universe’s intention for us,” she said.
One of their clients helped them and donated $50,000.
“He said we were good people and that was what he had to do,” Lampe said. She knew the man, but only because he set up and took down his trampoline at his summer house every year. “We can’t say anything to express how grateful we are to him.”
FOX17
In April, Backyard Fun Zone opened a new location on Northland Drive near Cedar Springs, a large space for birthday parties and back-to-school events for children who want to play on the location’s playground equipment and trampolines.
A year after the tornado, Lampe says, “We are still here and we are doing better.”
Follow FOX 17: Facebook- X – Instagram – YouTube
