GAYLORD— While people struggle with no power, a Gaylord church has become a safe haven for community members in need, especially for seniors.
From the chapel to the gymnasium and even the hallway, most of the E-free church in Gaylord is filled with cots where red cross blankets and pillows sit on top.
It’s been turned into a makeshift shelter for those looking to warm up, shower, charge devices and sleep.
Tracy Clark, who lives in Gaylord, has been there for five days.
She lost power and was asked by a police officer who knocked on her door to head to the church for safety until power is restored.
Clark said this storm is worse than any other she’s been through.
" This is worse than the tornadoes that went through here three years ago. I have never experienced anything this bad. It’s just devastating, my son took me through the town, and it’s devastating. It’s never going to be the same again. "
One area of the church has been transformed into a place for seniors who need additional care.
This was the next best thing, with some medical facilities out of power too. Jennifer Hogan is a nurse practitioner at McLaren’s family practice in Gaylord. She responded to a call the church put out for medical professionals who can help.
“We have a lot of patients here and the hospital only had so much room, but they weren’t quite safe to go home without power, you know, oxygen dependent and requiring assistance to get up and with food and that kind of thing. So just helping out the elderly and medically incapacitated.”
No matter who you talk to, young or old, they all have the same question — when is the power coming back on?
“If we have between 500 and 1,000 down poles and it takes one crew four to eight hours to replace one pole, I mean, we can’t dirty math out. It’s not feasible to think that we’re flipping this thing in over a week. I wish I had a better answer, and we are working so hard to provide a better answer.”