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'It sounded like an explosion' | Strong winds rip off roof in downtown Allegan

The Allegan Fire Chief said no one was hurt. A woman who lives inside the building watched the roof get ripped off and called 911 to report it, he said.

ALLEGAN, Mich. — No one was hurt as a strong wind gust picked up a portion of a building's roof in downtown Allegan Friday afternoon. 

Thankfully no one was hurt. 

Allegan Fire Chief Nick Brink believes the roof membrane ripped off of the building in the 200 block of Hubbard Street. The building houses a business as well as apartments. 

That area is now blocked off. 

"The people that were in the buildings were a little scared because it sounded like an explosion. But there was no explosion. It was just the wind got underneath the flat," Brink said. 

Brink said the first 911 caller lived in that building and was outside watching as the roof flew off. 

The fire chief believes there is still a solid roof on top of the building, and the people who live there will likely be able to stay. 

Credit: Marcus Key

"I haven't seen a roof blown off of a building yet. But this is the first and I can't say that anymore. But yes, we have lots of power lines down. The wind is really bad. So I would recommend staying inside and away until this wind is gone," Brink said. 

The building's owner is working with their insurance company for cleanup. 

Consumers Energy is reporting nearly 2,000 customers without power in Allegan County as of 5 p.m. Friday. 

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a wind advisory Friday afternoon, and it remains in effect until 2 a.m. Saturday. 

The NWS said the affected areas are Hastings, Charlotte, Kalamazoo, Ludington, Jenison, Battle Creek, Grand Rapids, Ionia, Big Rapids, Grand Haven, Hart, Reed City, Alma, Holland, Lansing, Jackson, Greenville, Clare, South Haven, St. Johns, Baldwin, Fremont, Mount Pleasant and Muskegon. These areas are looking at NW winds of 25-35 mph. They could also see gusts of up to 50 mph.

While the advisory will still be in effect until 2 a.m., our meteorologists said they expect the strongest winds to start dying down after sunset. Until around 7 p.m. Friday winds will continue to pick up and be severe.

People living in the affected areas can expect branches and powerlines to be knocked down causing power outages. Any unsecured items left outside are also likely to be blown away. Anyone out driving should practice caution as severe winds can make driving difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles.

Our meteorologists said we can expect some winds to continue through the weekend, although they will not be nearly as severe.

To check outages around you, you can visit consumersenergy.com/outagemap.

   

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