UNION CITY, Mich. — A tornado that struck Union City on Friday left homes destroyed and three people dead, but neighbors, from across the street and across the state, are coming together to help survivors rebuild.
WATCH: 'A lot of good people in the world': Union City tornado devastates community, neighbors rally to help rebuild
Mackenzie Day, an 18-year-old senior at Union City High School, described the moment the tornado tore through her neighborhood.
"It just sounded like loud wind, thundering. Just destruction. It was tearing everything apart," Day said.
Day's home was left 'unlivable.'
Video from inside shows the roof completely gone. She said the scale of the destruction was difficult to put into words.
"It's all debris. You can't even tell there were houses anymore," Day said.
She said her neighbors were among the three people who died in the area.
"They were good people, and they didn't deserve that. Nobody deserved it. Nobody on that road deserved that at all," Day said.
In the aftermath of the storm, Union City Community Schools has become a hub for relief efforts, drawing volunteers from the local community and beyond.
Mary Guthrie, a neighbor who stepped up to help, said the response reflects what the area is all about.
"I live in this community, and it's important to me to help these people who've been so devastated by this storm," Guthrie said.
Guthrie noted that students have also answered the call. Among them is Union City High School senior Elizabeth Arlt.
"There's so many people out here who are hurt and lost everything, like I should be doing something," Arlt said.
The effort has also drawn volunteers from outside the area. Mike McKinstry, a Metro Detroit native, said he made the trip because he felt compelled to act.
"We're all people, and I saw people in need, and I saw an opportunity to go help. I figured it'd be fun to get some friends together and just go see if we could put some smiles on some faces in a terrible time," McKinstry said.
Union City Community High School teacher Erin Ormsby said the outpouring of support has been unlike anything she has witnessed before.
"The people in the community have come together to help one another in a way that in my lifetime, I've never seen or been a part of before, and it's just, it's just incredible," Ormsby said.
Hundreds of donated boxes filled with water, food, clothing, bedding and toiletries have been collected at the school.
"Anything that people would need to survive and get through this recovery of the tragedy, we have it," Ormsby said.
Branch
'We just prayed': Union City tornado leaves historic damage
As the community faces what is expected to be a long recovery, Guthrie said the response is a reminder of something important.
"There's a lot of good people in the world. We need to remember that," Guthrie said.
Union City Community Schools will not hold classes Monday as students and staff continue to find ways to support their community.
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