Storms that blew through southern Berrien County on August 27 did millions of dollars in damage.
Residents north of Sawyer may have only seen a light show in the sky, but parts south got hammered with high winds and rain. Speaking to colleagues Thursday, Berrien County Commissioner Dave Vollrath reported Berrien County Emergency Management coordinator Rockey Adams has been assessing the damage.
“They did a lot of assessing down there and the numbers that Rocky gave us were over $12 million and about $670,000 of that was uninsured,” Vollrath said. “Those are all estimates right now, but that’s the numbers he gave us on the storm. It was localized down in South County and went across the lake and into South Bend.”
Vollrath said there was devastating damage around the southern portion of the county. Chikaming Township was hit especially hard.
While the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department was kept busy, Vollrath noted the road department also had its hands full responding to downed trees. He said some staff worked 12-hour shifts until all was clear.
Although storm damage was in the millions, Adams tells us it did not reach a level that would qualify the county for disaster aid.
Photo from the Facebook page of the New Buffalo Township Fire Department.
