Memories ripped apart at Menards in three rivers as a strong tornado tore through the town. People checking on their belongings, hoping their storage unit was spared.
The tornado took its toll on nearby businesses, the terror reaching far and wide on a Friday afternoon in March. One mechanic saw the storm shred across the hardest hit areas.
"I was getting ready to do an oil change on a customer's truck. My coworker came running, and he's like, lock her down. His chair blew across the shop, and I got papers flying everywhere, and I had never seen a tornado in person before." said Benjamin Ruden, a local mechanic.
After the tornado had passed his shop, Ben tried to go check in on his coworker’s house to make sure everything was okay.
"With all the traffic and power lines on, it probably took me an hour to get there, and then I was just walking around checking things out, making sure people were all right." said Ruden.
The traffic — was a major issue for first responders and crews trying to clear the scene. The St Joesph County sheriff's office urging residents to avoid traveling to and around the three rivers area and, avoiding unsound structures as well as power lines and trees.