Blog

May 26, 2023

Man survives tornado that hurled trailer into the air, lost everything

BERLIN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — Monday, workers at Frenchtown Villa Trailer Park in Newport picked up debris on the lot Erik VanRiper called home for four years until Thursday's tornado destroyed

BERLIN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — Monday, workers at Frenchtown Villa Trailer Park in Newport picked up debris on the lot Erik VanRiper called home for four years until Thursday's tornado destroyed almost everything he owned.

“It seemed like everything was just starting to go good, you know, as far as life. And just got took away in a matter of a minute," VanRiper told 7 Action News.

He's scraped, bruised and swollen, but VanRiper is still standing. He recalled the storm hoisted his trailer into the air while he was inside.

“Before I knew it, I was airborne, and I went through the ceiling," he explained.

While the storm only lasted a short time, VanRiper said the traumatic experience felt much longer as he was literally caught in a whirlwind.

“I just remember, I just kept falling and falling and falling and hitting the beams in the roof. I thought I was going to be buried alive or dead or one or the other, and finally everything stopped. I could hear the neighbor screaming," he said.

Fortunately, VanRiper, who said he prays quite often, made it out with the clothes on his back and a story to tell.

“I went to the hospital. I came back and they said that, um, we couldn’t go through our things and try to salvage stuff and there was nothing to salvage,” he recalled.

VanRiper said Frenchtown Villa relocated him to another unit temporarily. He said he’s unsure where his policy stands with his renter’s insurance at the moment.

Also, VanRiper said his neighbors did help him recover some of his clothes and older photos of his children. But he said other than his truck, he’s lost everything else.

"Starting all over again," VanRiper said.

He said a GoFundMe page was created with the help of his son if you'd like to donate.

Related: