Historical Disasters - Berrien County

BERRIEN COUNTY HAZARD ANALYSIS 2012
lightning were present but wind was said to be not very strong. One man was killed as he
took refuge with his bicycle underneath a tree when it was struck by lightning. cxiv
Damage was very high due to lightning strikes and the fires that ensued. Many livestock
were directly struck by lightning bolts and homes, businesses, and barns in Benton
Harbor, St. Joseph, Coloma and Baroda were damaged and destroyed. The Twin City
Phone Company put their losses at $150 while the Paw Paw Lake Pavilion was about
$200. cxv
August 22, 1910
Deaths – livestock (1 cow)
Injuries – 2
A 2:00am storm brought about 50mph winds, hail, rain and lightning, all of which
resulting in severe damage to many structures in the Niles area. The Chicago Fan
Company located near the Michigan Central Railroad suffered the most damage where as
the 2-story brick building was reduced to rubble. Fifty machines in the building were
also damaged and big timbers were flung about like they were paper. Loss was placed at
$60,000. The smokestack of the Niles Paper Company was also blown down during the
storm and the west wall of the Niles Board and Paper Company was blown inwards.
They estimate losses at a couple hundred dollars. A couple sleeping in their bed were
temporarily paralyzed as their home was struck by lightning. They remained semiconscious
for several hours. Even Berrien County Undersheriff Starkweather felt the illeffects
of the storm when he lost one of his prized bovines. Three of them were huddled
under a tree when one was struck by a bolt of lightning and instantly killed. In addition,
many fruit trees were damaged, some being uprooted, foliage twisted and much of the
fruit was destroyed. cxvi
June 15, 1976
Deaths – 0
Injuries – 0
St. Joseph Township Firefighters were called to four separate house fires involving
lightning strikes in less than two hours. Damage was minor but did include interior
damage, brick shattering, scorched walls, ceiling damage, stove and television
damage. cxvii
June 12, 1978
Deaths – 0
Injuries – 1
A swift moving storm in the morning dropped about 1/3”of rain in about 90 minutes and
lightning from the storm struck a TV antenna in Benton Township which started the
interior on fire. It was reported that draperies near the outlet caught on fire and as one of
the residents tried to extinguish the flames, her hair was singed in the fire. The fire did
burn into the living room and caused heavy smoke damage estimated at $15,000.
Downed high power lines hitting the wet grass put on quite a show in St. Joseph but
caused no damage but I&M crews were quickly dispatched to repair all downed lines. cxviii
June 13, 1994
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