THREE RIVERS, Mich. — Friday, an EF-2 tornado hit Three Rivers. The damage is widespread, with downed trees and torn roofs throughout town. People have been displaced.
Monday, FOX 17 spoke with the Superintendent of Three Rivers Community Schools, Nikki Nash.
“Heroes, for sure,” Superintendent Nikki Nash said, when talking about the district's bus drivers.
WATCH: Three Rivers school bus drivers step up to protect students during severe storm
There is never a good time for a tornado. But this one hit during dismissal time, complicating matters further.
“Our elementary schools were dismissing. Our middle and high school had already dismissed,” Nash said.
WATCH: Storm damage in Three Rivers
Nash says she had no indication that a severe storm could be coming through.
“In a split second I realized there was a tornado warning. I radioed everyone over as part of protocol to take quick coverage anywhere they’re at,” Nash said.
That meant quick thinking, on behalf of the transportation team. Students were still on the bus.
“There were still kids on buses. All over our district,” Nash said.
Drivers rerouted back to the elementary schools, ushering children inside to safety. Bus drivers who spoke to FOX 17 reporter Julie Dunmire off camera told her the hardest part was taking kids back home, and not knowing what their home would look like.
Half of the bus garage is torn up. The roof is gone.
Nash says within 10 minutes all the buses with children were accounted for. Nash says she has her team of professionals at the bus garage to thank.
“It was a little bit of a chaotic time for that to happen, but a blessing they all come together and they’re all safe,” Nash said.
WATCH: Tornado touches down in Three Rivers
She says this tornado has hit their small town hard. But it's showing the very best of the community.
“The number of people that have shown up today to help clean our grounds, and be ready for the kids tomorrow, in a safe area…just the heartwarming feeling..that it is great to be part of a small community,” Nash said.
The bus drivers spent all day Monday driving their routes to make sure they could get through all the roads, in order to pick students up for school on Tuesday. That's when Three Rivers plans to welcome students back to the classroom.
“I wouldn’t trade any one of them for the world,” Nash said about the district's bus drivers.
