Amish community in Michigan repairs tornado damage before meteorologists can complete survey

File – Netflix documentary looks back at historic EF-5 Joplin tornado

The tornado that hit Joplin, Missouri, on May 22, 2011, was determined to be an EF-5. The twister was on the ground for at least 32 minutes and claimed the lives of at least 158 people.

BRANCH COUNTY, Mich. – As tornadoes tore through parts of the Midwest during a recent severe weather outbreak, communities in Southwest Michigan and Northern Indiana were already in recovery mode minutes after the twisters struck, presenting a challenge for National Weather Service meteorologists in determining the exact strength of these forces of nature.

According to the weather agency, the quick recovery appeared to happen in Amish communities, where residents had already repaired shingles and roofs before the meteorologists could survey the damage, such as in Branch County, Michigan.

Remarkably, less than 48 hours after the tornado passed, residents were seen replacing shingles, and one barn appeared to have a reconstructed roof.

"The wind speed could not be estimated due to repairs already completed," the NWS stated in a storm survey, which is used to determine a tornado’s strength on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

In situations where meteorologists are unable to precisely determine the wind speeds of the tornado, they utilize a variety of methods to estimate the vortex's intensity, such as radar data and the analysis of tree damage. 

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Map of the April 2, 2025, tornadoes.

(NOAA)

The Enhanced Fujita Scale, which categorizes tornadoes from EF-0 to EF-5, is used to rate the strength of a tornado based on observed damage. 

Without knowing exactly what damage was caused by the tornado, estimating its strength can be challenging. In this case, NWS meteorologists concluded that the tornado that struck Branch County had winds of EF-1 strength, at approximately 105 mph.

"Typically, we survey areas within a few days, but with back-to-back severe weather events, it can be difficult to immediately survey all impacted locations," an NWS meteorologist from the Syracuse, Indiana, office told FOX Weather. "In this case, though, we were still able to make a determination."

Meteorologists also noted that a similar-strength tornado caused damage in Northern Indiana, with similar swift recovery efforts observed at Amish residences as well.

Enhanced Fujita Scale

(FOX Weather)

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The Amish are known for their self-reliant lifestyle. However, they are known to buy goods at stores that can assist them in extreme weather situations. 

According to the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College, there are an estimated 380,000 Amish members in the U.S., with the largest populations residing in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana. 

Despite no reports of serious injuries from the tornadoes that impacted the area, some structures sustained significant damage.