Bay Shore Camp among many village locations feeling aftermath
SEBEWAING -- The damage left behind from Wednesday's late-night storm at Bay Shore Camp and Family Ministry was unmistakable. And all things considered, it could have been much worse.
"I saw limbs flying off of the tree that landed on the roof of our house," said Bay Shore Camp Executive Director Mike Coffey. "By the time I got up out of the chair to get away from the windows, it was done."
The camp was not exempt from a rapid, but severe storm which wreaked havoc all across Sebewaing. But Coffey's upbringing had him prepared to handle the aftermath.
"The interesting thing is, my home is in Kansas, where I was born and raised," he explained. "And when we moved here four years ago, the Board of Directors said we don't get those kinds of storms here in Michigan. And I've been calling them liars.
The 100th year of operations at Bay Shore Camp and Family Ministries is well underway, but thankfully, the camp's schedule prevented this devastating storm from turning into a truly catastrophic one.
"We're scheduled to start our summer camping program on Sunday afternoon," said Coffey. "Eighty-five junior high kids that are supposed to be showing up, and we want to be ready for them."
And thanks to those in neighboring towns willing to lend a helping hand, the storm could soon become a distant memory.
"We've heard from folks as far away as Port Huron, calling and asking if we needed help," said Coffey. "Got a crew from Romeo that's gonna be coming up tomorrow. Gonna be a crew of three or four people that are gonna up with some chainsaws and rakes, and plan on spending the day helping us get ready."
"So it's been phenomenal, the kind of response we've had."
