PORTAGE, Mich. — Four tornadoes ripped through southwest Michigan a little more than a month ago.
The tornado in Portage damaged many homes and businesses, and people are still grappling with what to do next.
That includes the Air Zoo Museum, a West Michigan staple. The museum is home to a collection of airplanes, artifacts and other relics of the early 1900s.
Unfortunately, the tornado swept over the Air Zoo on May 7, taking off its roof and leaving holes that let water stream inside the collection room, where roughly 80,000 artifacts and materials are housed.
Nearly two dozen employees began emptying the collection room within an hour after the rain started pouring in, hoping to save as much as they could.
The good news is they moved most of the collection before items became waterlogged. However, they lost around 1,000 irreplaceable artifacts. They include century-old photos, flight logs, manuals and other documents of historical significance.
The zoo’s president says they are still processing the loss.
"The idea that we've lost objects, one-of-a-kind objects, especially photographs that can't be reproduced,” says President & CEO Troy Thrash. "It does make it very difficult for us as an organization and as individuals and how connected we feel to all of this history and ensuring that we get that history out to educate and inspire our community. So no doubt a tough loss."
The zoo was able to save some of the items in their collection with help from a restoration company. They are keeping their artifacts in storage units for now until the collection room and education labs are repaired.
We’re told the zoo will bring their collection back home when the time is right.
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