KENT COUNTY, Mich. — On a humid Thursday evening where high school football teams from Kent County were taking the field for the first time that season, sirens cut through the air. Temperatures dropped. Rain poured. The wind, roaring, picked up speed.
One year ago today, an EF-1 tornado carved a nearly nine mile-long path of destruction across Alpine and Plainfield Townships with 110 mph winds that dealt damage to businesses and homes.
The storm system produced seven total tornadoes in Michigan and played a role in the deaths of five people, including three in a car accident in Kent County.
READ MORE: Severe storms in West Michigan knock out power, leave behind trail of destruction
"Devastating. No words, really, after seeing what happened," said Tracie Lampe, the owner of Backyard Fun Zone in Kent County. "Came home and an hour later our business was gone."
The tornado brought the playground supply store's Alpine Avenue location nearly entirely down to the ground. A portion of its roadside sign was found in a backyard five miles away, unscathed.
"I just was bawling," Lampe said. "Unbelievable that something you worked so hard for was destroyed within a matter of minutes."
Lampe and her husband "had no other choice that to move forward with our dream" and look for a new location. They wanted to be able to store their equipment indoors and host events.
"I really think that was what the universe meant for us to do," she said.
A customer of theirs helped them on their way, donating $50,000 dollars.
"He said we were good people and that's what he needed to do," Lampe said. She knew the man, but only from putting up and taking down his trampoline every year at his summer home. "There's nothing we could even say that would explain how grateful we are for him."
In April, Backyard Fun Zone opened a new location on Northland Drive near Cedar Springs, a large space capable of hosting birthday parties and back-to-school events for children who want to play on its play sets and trampolines.
One year after the tornado, Lampe says, "We are still here and better."
