Severe Storms left a private road in Branch County rewriting itself, one broken board at a time
Along Tuttle Road north of Union Lake, the work of living resumed in the wake of severe storms: residents who could return stepped carefully through splintered wood and downed trees, sorting what remained after a tornado tore through a private road near Union City, Michigan.
What happened on Prairie Rose Lane and nearby roads?
Cleanup continued Sunday along Tuttle Road after a tornado struck on Friday, March 6, 2026, leaving three people dead on Prairie Rose Lane. The Branch County Sheriff’s Office identified the victims as William Andrew Akers, 63; Keri Ann Johnson, 54; and Penni Jo Guthrie, 65.
The damage reached deep into the geography of daily life. Residents who could return to the private road north of Union Lake sorted through debris on Sunday, while downed trees made it difficult to reach the eastern end of the road. Power crews closed the entrance to repair lines, adding another layer of waiting to a place already measuring time by what could be moved and what could not.
How extensive was the destruction after Severe Storms hit?
On one private road, the losses were stark: of the 21 dwellings on the tax rolls, only two partially remained. To the west of Prairie Rose Lane, the 57 dwellings listed on the tax rolls along a private dirt lane saw scattered damage. Almost all suffered at least minor damage. At least two were destroyed, and others had serious damage.
A temporary road allowed dump trucks to remove piles of wood and brush cut on Saturday, hauling debris to a farm field half a mile north for burning. By noon Sunday, the pile was over 15 feet high and 20 yards long—and growing. The scene was not only a record of what had fallen, but a rough ledger of what people were trying to rebuild: access, safety, and a sense that the road still led somewhere familiar.
Who is responding, and what comes next?
The recovery effort mixed utility work with neighbor-to-neighbor action. Municipal utilities with mutual aid waited for debris to be cleared before starting work down the mile-long dirt road. Power crews worked repairs after closing the entrance, while residents and volunteers arrived with equipment to help clear debris.
Greg Moore, a Senior Community Affairs Manager at Consumers Energy, said he rushed in on Saturday to help family. He described the tornado striking land his family—the Tuttles—has owned for six generations, damaging multiple homes within a few hundred yards.
“I’ve got four cousins and an aunt who all lived within about 300 yards, ” Moore said. “My aunt lost part of her house. Two cousins lost their homes, and another had damage to their home. It’s going to be different now. ”
Even with the physical labor underway, Moore said the emotional toll is only beginning to surface. “You don’t really think about the stress while you’re working, ” he said.
Next steps include an official accounting of what was lost. A preliminary assessment of damage by Branch County Emergency Management could come late this week. For residents picking through debris and for crews trying to restore service, that assessment stands as a formal marker in a process already defined by urgent, hands-on choices made hour by hour after severe storms.
Image caption (alt text): severe storms aftermath as residents sort debris along Tuttle Road near Union City, Michigan
