Three years after the “Storm of the Century” hit Cherryland members in March, 2012, the sequel proved to be just as memorable… and devastating.

When ominous clouds moved into the area and the skies turned a pale green on Sunday, Aug. 2, northern Michigan residents took cover and waited out the storm. As winds gusted to nearly 100 miles-per-hour and driving rains pelted the region, people fled to safety.

Luckily, there were no fatalities of Cherryland members associated with the storm, but the amount of damage in the region was estimated to be in the millions of dollars.

“Both the 2012 storm and this storm were huge,” said Cherryland Operations Manager Frank Siepker. “The difference in this storm was that it literally changed the landscape. There were a lot of big, healthy trees that were blown down and did a lot of damage.”

Joe Townsend, who oversees Cherryland’s purchasing and warehouse, said that the 2012 storm was different because it came in March when temperatures were colder and members scrambled to stay warm.

“This time, the biggest concern we heard from members was about keeping perishable items in their refrigerators and freezers from spoiling,” he said. “We were lucky with the temperatures. They were in the 70s and that made it better not only for our members, but for the workers we had trying to restore power.”

That effort started with tree trimming crews clearing the way for linemen to get to the downed lines.

Of the 34,000 Cherryland members, about 12,800 lost power at some point.

“Every area had some sort of damage,” said Siepker. “But the hardest hit were Leelanau County and the Yuba area.”

Cherryland General Manager Tony Anderson guided the cooperative during the week while Siepker was instrumental in placing crews in proper locations.

“I’m proud of the response from our employees to this storm,” he said. “They proved themselves during a trying time yet again. That’s no surprise to me, but it’s also something we never want to take for granted. Cherryland members are blessed to be served by an employee group that is willing to do what it takes to restore power in a safe and efficient manner.”

Anderson thanked Cherryland members for their “patience and understanding” during the storm. He also lauded the assistance of outside crews that consisted of statewide contractors, municipal utilities and fellow Michigan cooperatives.