Kalamazoo Tornado by Lori Higgins

Early last night, the Kalamazoo/Portage area was rocked by tornadoes:

The storms rolled through around 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., causing thousands to lose power. Some of the heaviest damage was concentrated around Westnedge Avenue, Centre Avenue and Oakland Drive, according to Portage city officials.

The FedEx building at 6701 Portage Road sustained a direct hit from one of the reported tornadoes. The roof of the building caved in, leaving the interior exposed. After the storm passed, 50 employees were trapped inside as crews worked to remove dangerous wires so rescue efforts could commence. First responders eventually helped them all out of the building, Tuesday night.

Another spot with major damage was Pavilion Estates Mobile Home Park, 6830 East N Ave. in Pavilion Township, just east of Portage. About 17 of the homes were totally demolished and 173 had some degree of damage, according to the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office.

Click through for more from mLive. Lori’s photo was shared far & wide including by Michigan Native Photography who shared a bunch of photos (by other photographers) of the damage. Stay safe everyone and LISTEN to the weather forecasters when they tell you to beware. Turns out they can be right a lot of the time!!

More Michigan tornados on Michigan in Pictures.