Public Safety and Disasters

Six people were killed after severe storms swept the central U.S., including a confirmed EF3 tornado with estimated winds of at least 150 mph that struck the Union Lake area near Union City in southern Michigan, killing three in Branch County and one 12-year-old in Cass County, injuring at least 12 (three hospitalized), and causing major structural damage as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer activated the State Emergency Operations Center and declared a state of emergency in affected counties. In Oklahoma, a 47-year-old mother and her 13-year-old daughter from Fairview were found dead in a vehicle in a crash officials say appears tornado-related while the National Weather Service conducts damage surveys, and forecasters warned millions across the central U.S. remain at heightened risk for strong tornadoes and very large hail.