Storms Kill 5 in Midwest and Plains

Severe storms swept through the Midwest and Plains on Friday, killing at least five people and injuring more than a dozen others as tornadoes tore roofs from buildings, downed power lines and uprooted trees across southern Michigan and Oklahoma.

In southern Michigan, authorities confirmed three fatalities and several injuries after an apparent tornado struck the Union Lake area in Branch County, about 125 miles west of Detroit. The Branch County Sheriff's Office reported that three people were hospitalized following the storm, which hit late Friday afternoon. Emergency crews responded to reports of entrapments and structural damage in areas including Sherwood and Union Townships, where homes along roads such as Blossom Road and Tuttle Road sustained major harm, including walls and roofs ripped away. Officials activated the state's Emergency Operations Center to coordinate response efforts amid widespread wind damage.

Further east in St. Joseph County, a confirmed tornado touched down near Three Rivers shortly before 7 p.m., causing significant destruction at a Menards home improvement store, where large sections of the roof were peeled off and debris scattered across the parking...