PORTAGE, Mich. — Forty-eight hours after a devastating tornado ripped through parts of Portage, remnants of the destruction remain prominent, leaving residents like Violet Wagner unable to access their homes.
She adds that she only wants to grab a few things that mean everything to her.
"I miss my home. I just want to go home. I miss my bed. I hate hotels. They're so gross. I don't like communal beds. I missed my bed," Wagner said. "I missed my neighbors. I knew them for five years. I just miss them. This is my community. Now, we have to rebuild a community all over again
Wagner was inside her basement as the tornado tore through her home.
"It sounded like like a freight train in a whirlpool spiral. I don't know how to explain it. But I could hear one side of my house being torn apart, my windows imploding. And it lasted about probably four or five minutes," she added.
Many in and around her neighborhood are still picking up. Wagner can't because the City of Portage placed a sign that explains her building is no longer safe.
"We've lost, everything is gone. And we had spent five years building this up," Wagner said.
Reflecting on the extent of the loss, Wagner expressed sadness.
Despite the devastation, she holds onto hope that some cherished items have survived, particularly her son's belongings stored in a "Forever box."
"I'm hoping at some point we get the ok to go in. I know that 90% is destroyed. I just honestly, I just want the stuffed animals in the Forever box because my son's Teddy and blankies in there.
Until then, Wagner and her family will be staying at a hotel.
"(We're) paying $1,400 a week for a hotel right now. We don't have that. The mission is over full. We've tried a couple of shelters. They're overfilled," Wagner explained.
She explained they have renter's insurance, but the process is slow.
"You have to submit every picture, every receipt, you have all the knowledge, you have everything in your house, and then when they approve you for a certain amount, they tell you that you have to go ahead and buy the product first, submit that receipt, and then they'll reimburse you," she said.
Wagner has set up a GoFundMe. You can go here if you would like to help.
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