UNION CITY, Mich. — Union City tornado victims are cleaning up the damage from last week's deadly storm while keeping a close eye on forecasts for more severe weather.
- James Hoyt and his wife Sandra survived the tornado as it ripped apart their Union City home.
- Branch County Emergency Management Director Tim Miner says his team is actively monitoring new weather threats.
- Safety protocols are already in place to protect volunteers and workers at cleanup sites.
Less than a week after a deadly tornado tore through the village of Union City, survivors are still picking through the wreckage of their homes — and now they're watching the sky again.
WATCH: Tornado survivors in Union City watch for more weather during cleanup
James Hoyt and his wife Sandra survived the tornado as it ripped apart their home. Standing at the site where their house once stood, Hoyt said he is lucky to be alive.
"Because of the walls, the wind didn't rip the counters out, and I held onto the counters otherwise I wouldn't be here to talk about it."
Community support has poured in during the recovery.
"We've had a lot of friends helping out, ones that even used to live here," Hoyt said.
The Hoyt's say there staying close by as they clean-up and keeping tabs on the incoming weather.
"We're staying in town. I'm going to keep my eye really close to the phone," Hoyt said.
Hoyt is also urging neighbors not to take chances when the next round of weather arrives.
"You only got one life and you don't want to spend it gambling that you want to stay on our couch," Hoyt said.
Branch County Emergency Management Director Tim Miner said his team is actively monitoring incoming weather and staying in close contact with forecasters.
"We are monitoring, we're in constant contact with people who are monitoring it for us, I just got a report moments ago, so we're continually watching it," Miner said.
Miner said safety protocols are already in place to protect volunteers and workers at cleanup sites if severe weather threatens again.
"Shut down the work for the day, we had the first night of the event and we had to shelter in place, first responders with stop work, then got to resume," Miner said.
WATCH: Branch County Emergency Management Director Tim Miner on best ways to help.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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