“It's a complete miracle:” Port Austin on road to recovery thanks to kindness of strangers - ABC 12 News

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PORT AUSTIN, Mich. (WJRT) (7/8/2021)--A state of emergency in Michigan’s Thumb tonight.

More than a week after a tornado swept through Port Austin, it was hard to tell home from street and neighborhood from rubble pile. But, as the situation gradually improved, a new declaration from the governor could soon bring more help.

Friday, Governor Gretchen Whitmer added Huron County to an emergency declaration which now includes four counties hit hard by storms at the end of last month. It’s welcome news for people in the area. Though, as ABC12 found the community has already made a significant dent in the clean-up, much of it thanks to the kindness of strangers.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am. It’s a complete miracle how many people came together.”

Jason Zimmerman told ABC12 he was overwhelmed by the level of support still streaming into storm-battered Port Austin.

“To see a grown man cry and tell you thank you is pretty powerful,” he said. “We had a lot of that.”

The assistant fire chief said he was standing just outside the fire hall last month, looking up moments before that EF-2 slammed into the tree line.

“There was a strong but silent wind that went through town,” Zimmerman related. “When we looked to the south, we saw trees flying and power lines arcing.”

It came as the Governor’s office moved to expand the state of emergency issued for Wayne County to Huron and others, opening up a pipeline for more state resources to flow into the areas hardest hit.

In the days since severe weather left its mark on this small, lakeside village, it’s been all hands-on-deck for Zimmerman and the fire department, assisting with the extensive cleanup. Impossible, he told ABC12, without the generosity of friends, neighbors and complete strangers.

“The fire department organized a volunteer effort,” Zimmerman explained. “On Tuesday, we started with that effort, cleaning up the properties we could. On Wednesday, we had 250-300 people helping out… which was an absolute miracle.”

But rebuilding shattered walls and lives can’t occur with good intentions alone. A cash infusion from a string of recent fundraisers were keeping the wheels of progress turning Friday, leaving Zimmerman inspired.

“It’s absolutely—it’s phenomenal,” he said. “I just—there are no words to put into what has happened. Such a big natural disaster like this and how close of a community we’ve been and how much support.”

The Port Austin Fire Department and others are still raising money to put toward the recovery and handling future disasters.

For more information or to donate, click here.

Copyright 2021 WJRT. All rights reserved.

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