Tornado rips through Big Rapids Michigan

[Jergriff01]

Kinda neat seein old footage of br. I grew up in br but I'm only thirty. Biggest disaster in my time was the flood of 86. Lots of damage. Oh and to you people badmouthing our small town....good riddance. We don't need nor want you here

[mindstage]

Thanks for sharing this. I was born in Big Rapids, and was 9 years old when this tornado hit. Brings a flood of memories to mind. We lived a block from the Wolverine Factory, and our house was untouched. My Uncle's house, a block in the opposite direction, lost the entire second story.

[headshotghost22]

now the high school area is the middle school only i in 8th grade

[headshotghost22]

my grandparents live on cathrine

[jmeier37]

Being an amateur chaser in WI, and not being anywhere near born yet, I'd say this is great footage for its time, especially this one. Wasn't as big as Wheelersburg one, but from same outbreak.

[Superbook4Eva]

Was anyone killed in this twister?

[superguy60073]

were there any thunderbolt 1000 or 1000t in those years

[lovinaid]

now every first sat of the month they test the alarms

[lovinaid]

i live in big rapids that is crazy this is when wolverine factory was ripped to shreds most of my inlaws now work there

[BurberryShades]

I live in Michigan :D

[Zeldagurl4eva]

@BurberryShades me too. and I hate thunder storms!

[ISCLChannel1011]

@Zeldagurl4eva me too. ME TOO!

[dasmackman]

I went to ferris from 81-85 and the tornado was never mentioned, great town and what did we used to call those folks "Townies" lol..I wonder if the alibi is still there and having quarter beer nite and ladies nite lol...Go Dawgz!!!

[hckygrl4]

For those of you IN BR....the new IRC building at ferris was mainly done because a tornado went over the top and the roof was damaged....it took em a while to fix it LOL.

I remember waking up screaming when the siren went off during the 98 tornado. AND....one of our trees fell between our house and the neighbors. YIKES!

[rf80]

This is cool footage Im from BR. This was two years before my family moved there and four years b4 I was born. I was there in '98 I was living in Forrest Hills Mobile Home Park and was @ home when it hit.

[beyondtype91]

Wow, some memories there. Thanks. Posted this link in a Topic on Facebook, the group is Fighting Cardinal Debate Club. Fishing for stories from members on it.

[Macarze]

I was raised in that town. The Tornado should have destroyed it. If you've been in B.R. for any length of time you'll understand. Nice surprisly clean film though.

[Screetchy]

My father worked at B.R. Box, my mother at Wolverine that day. My dad watched it cross the river & hit the plant. My current neighbors (80yrs old ) told me it passed through both our yards. I am grateful for your efforts. My son got a chance to see what he's always heard about. 10/5/00 was the Ferris one and it was suffocatingly hot just prior. I remember cuz my dad stepped out my door to leave & we felt it. As he drove home the sirens blew. Glad he made it home.

[vision57]

you said it buddy..lol..f-in hate that town

[xxmissxcharleexx]

Big Rapids looks so different. I wonder what Perry Street looked like, probably just an open field? Lol.

[hckygrl4]

I was also here in 2000 when that went through. And the one in 1998 that they denied was a tornado. Where I currently work, my boss said the FB team was out at practice that day and just held on to whatever they could (at Top Taggert).

[vision57]

yeh i remember the 98 one they failed to warn us about..it started in howard city and ripped its way all the way to big rapids..i was in morley at the time and i woke up and the nieghbors house was in pieces and there was a roof in the field next to us

[stickbuddy1]

wait i live in south east Michigan but i have never heard of Big Rapids i thought the tornado hit grand rapids

[Superbook4Eva]

@stickbuddy1 There was one that hit Grand Rapids (an F5 actually) but that was in 1956.

[phy1983]

I was 2 years old when that happend, we only lived a block from the high school.I can remember that tornado.my sister and I where outside playing just befor it hit.My brother and other sister where at the elementary school across 131, they let them out of school right after the tornado and they had to walk home.I think my brother drug my sister all the way home,It must have been bad when I can remeber that day at only 2 yr. old, Lots of damage.

[Geckoforhire]

I went to Ferris in 2004-2006. I think I remember hearing about some of these.

[LS1formulation]

I was going to Ferris in 2000 when that tornado hit campus. Picked up a black Dodge Neon and smashed it flat outside of what used to be the Timme Library. It passed right over my car as I was driving to class when it finally left the ground.

[wikkidme]

I work at Wolverine.

[VABkWrm]

I grew up in Big Rapids. In 1972, a tornado damamged a couple of houses up behind ferris, took the roof of Riverview Elementary, and then touched down behind a mobile home community off Bjornsen St., which was one street over from my house. Aside from being absolutley terrified, I recall the civil defense sirens finally sounding AFTER the tornado lifted up and went away! Odd to see the high School I went to on You Tube!

[Jerkyburp]

In 2000 (or so) a tornado touched down on the Ferris Campus. It was small, but had enough power to overturn a couple cars and pick up a student and throw him across the parking lot, breaking his arm. No siren that time either, NWS screwed up.

[drmathewgonzo]

Wow. I live in big rapids, i could not imagine this happpening here in BR. crazy

[CamBlack2007]

Lol I live in BR also, by the Maple street bridge. Crazy I cant imagaine this ever happing. Its cool how I recognize some of the things in this video