FLINT, Mich. – On June 8, 1953, disaster struck the north side of Flint and the northern suburb of Beecher when the Flint-Beecher tornado, Michigan’s worst natural disaster in terms of deaths and injuries, tore through the area.

The Flint-Beecher tornado remains the only tornado to strike Southeast Lower Michigan rated F5 on the Fujita scale.

According to the National Weather Service, an F5 tornado produces “incredible damage,” with winds estimated between 261 and 318 mph — powerful enough to level strong frame houses, hurl automobile-sized debris more than 100 meters and debark trees.

The scale of the storm was staggering. At 800 yards wide, the tornado didn’t just destroy homes — it erased entire blocks, entire neighborhoods, entire chapters of people’s lives in the span of minutes. Winds are believed to have exceeded 200 mph.

The tornado traveled 27 miles at approximately 35 mph, killing 116 people and injuring 844 others in its path.

For those in its way, there was little warning and almost nowhere to go.

It stands as the deadliest natural disaster in Michigan history and the 10th deadliest in United States history.

The aftermath

So many people were killed that the National Guard Armory and other buildings were temporarily converted into morgues. More than 100 people — families and friends of victims — waited outside in the rain for hours before they could enter to identify the bodies.

State Police Captain James Berardo warned the people outside that the tornado had horribly battered some victims and that the scene inside would be gruesome.

The Flint-Beecher tornado claimed lives ranging from as young as 5 months to as old as 80.

Of the 116 killed, 55 were under 20 years old — and five of those were less than a year old. Of the 844 injured, the last two survivors to be hospitalized were not discharged until five months after the tornado.

At least 20 families reported losing more than one member. The Gensel and Gatica families each lost five people.

Community response

In the wake of the disaster, state troopers, the National Guard and the Red Cross quickly mobilized to assist. Within 12 hours of the tornado, they provided first aid, food and clothing to survivors.

The National Weather Service noted in their Beecher 50th Anniversary Commemoration that the Flint-Beecher Tornado was one of eight tornadoes that occurred that evening across the eastern portion of the Lower Peninsula, resulting in an additional nine deaths and 52 injuries.

The tornado destroyed nearly 340 homes, with 107 sustaining major damage and 153 experiencing minor damage. An additional 50 businesses and other buildings were damaged, totaling an estimated $19 million — nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in today’s money.

Rebuilding the community

Beecher was able to rebuild thanks to the broader Flint community, which rallied around a “Red Feather” campaign to gather relief and rebuilding funds. Combined with Red Cross support, the effort helped the community get back on its feet.

In the late summer of 1953, a community-supported “Builder Bees” project brought volunteers together to help rebuild homes lost in the tornado.

Vance Boelter, the man accused of shooting two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses nearly a year ago, will not face the death penalty on federal charges.

The U.S. Department of Justice said there was no recommendation to seek the death penalty in the June 14, 2025, shootings, which killed former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and wounded Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette.

“Bringing justice to the families and loved ones of victims of violence is the number one priority of the Department of Justice,” a spokesperson for the agency said in a written statement to WCCO on Monday. “Prosecutors worked hard on this case to make sure he was held accountable to the fullest extent possible.”  

Boelter, 58, is facing six federal charges, including two counts of stalking, two counts of murder and two counts of firearms violations. He appeared in court in April in connection with the criminal case.

According to federal law, the two counts of murder are punishable by death or life in prison, though the federal agency, which cited case law, said the stalking charges weren’t likely death penalty-eligible.

U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen submitted a recommendation regarding the death penalty in April to the assistant attorney general for the criminal division of the agency.

Boelter also faces state charges, including two counts of first-degree premeditated murder, four counts of attempted first-degree murder, and one count each of felony cruelty to an animal and impersonating an officer. A guilty verdict for one of the first-degree murder charges carries a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

The Hoffman family has filed a lawsuit against Boelter, which accuses him of assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence and negligence per se, according to the civil complaint.  

NOTE: The attached video first aired on April 17.

The Missouri Supreme Court declined Monday to hear an appeal to a case against a proposed constitutional amendment that aims to eliminate the state income tax by expanding sales and use taxes to make up for lost revenue.

That means Missouri voters will decide on the Aug. 4 primary election whether to give lawmakers the ability to expand those taxes.

In May, Gov. Mike Kehoe announced the proposed amendment, titled Amendment 5, would appear on the August ballot instead of the November one.

A lawsuit filed against the amendment argued that it improperly amended Missouri’s constitution. It also called the ballot’s summary statement misleading.

Cole County Circuit Judge Christopher Limbaugh rejected those arguments last week. The plaintiffs appealed the ruling.

On Friday, the Missouri Western District Court of Appeals also ruled that the amendment will remain on the August ballot.

However, the court reversed Limbaugh’s ruling on the summary, saying it must be changed because it did not provide enough information.

The new summary, put forth by the Court of Appeals, will now say:

Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to:

• Require legislative phase-out of the individual state income tax based on revenue growth, and authorize the expansion of sales and use taxes;
• Curtail constitutional limits on taxing goods and services; and
• Require local tax rate cuts without reducing school funding if local sales tax revenue increases?

Despite succeeding on the ballot summary portion of the lawsuit, the plaintiffs in the case further appealed the decision to the Missouri Supreme Court.

Because the Missouri Supreme Court decided not to hear the case, the Court of Appeals ruling stands. That means the amendment will be listed on the August ballot.

The courts had a tight deadline to rule on this case. State law requires all changes to the primary ballot to be finalized on Tuesday, June 9.

In addition to Amendment 5, three other proposed constitutional amendments will appear on the same ballot, including one that aims to make it harder to amend Missouri’s constitution through the initiative petition process.

Missouri voters have approved constitutional amendments brought forward via initiative petition in prior elections, including overturning Missouri’s near total abortion ban and legalizing recreational marijuana.