Pole barn lifts off in high winds, crashes down

ALLEGAN COUNTY, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - Rain, thunder, hail and high winds all accompanied a fast-moving storm that left some damage behind Monday.

In Martin, Michigan the winds at the head of the storm system certainly made life more difficult for some folks.

Jack Whitcomb has lived in Martin for about ten years and was quite surprised when Monday night's strong winds destroyed his pole barn.

"We come out in the garage after it let up and we noticed the barn wasn't there," said Whitcomb.

It was just after 5:00 Monday evening when Whitcomb's wife noticed something unusual whipping past the window. Turns out it was their barn.

The Whitcomb's pole barn now lies in pieces about half a football field away from where it once stood. Like a scene from The Wizard of Oz, the barn lifted straight up, then fell and splintered on impact. The hay, cattle feeder and freezer inside the barn all made the journey with the structure.

Whitcomb knows it could have been a lot worse.

"We felt really blessed that nobody got hurt, and there's a lot of things, we'd just moved our cattle out of the barn last week, the barn could have crashed into the house, it damaged the garage just a little bit, but it could have been so much worse," said Whitcomb.

Whitcomb isn't sure how much it will cost to rebuild the barn, and is still waiting to hear back from his insurance company.