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Grand Rapids area begins cleanup efforts after tornado

Posted at 7:23 AM, Aug 22, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-22 07:25:57-04

Trees are down, debris is starting to find its way to the curb. and many are without power. Randall Barnes came home Sunday to find an unwelcome surprise in his back yard.

Massive trees were uprooted in his, and his neighbors yards, crashing through two fences.

"Words don't do it justice," says Barnes. "It's going to take some time, you know? And we're just one yard."

The city will pick up branches and debris collected by people and put on the curb, but they can't handle whole trees. That means people will have to find their own way to deal with them.

"This is the time that we lean on each other, and do the best we can because we don't want this happening to nobody," says Barnes.

Fortunately, there's help from the community. The Red Cross and the city of Wyoming have a resource center where people can get help if they need it. There's even a shelter for those who's homes are temporarily unlivable.

Barnes is just happy people stayed safe.

"Nobody in the area got hurt. That's the most important thing."