FENWICK, Mich. - A dairy farm in Michigan is  getting a helping hand from its neighbors after a tornado damaged much of the area on April 14.

A copule of their cows were killed and some calves still remain missing. 

“It was almost a complete wipe out,” is how Amy McMillan described the damage to her parents’ farm in Fenwick just north of Grand Rapids.

Bryan and Janet Hull are second generation owners of Hull’s Dairy Farm, which had several barns and other outbuildings destroyed or heavily damaged by what the National Weather Service classified as an EF-1 tornado with winds of up to 110 mph.

The Hull’s are still living in their house that seems to have escaped major structure damage. 

McMillan said there were seven windows in the home broken out during the storm that produced hail the size of golf ball along with some roof damage

McMillan said she was notified about the destruction at the farm by her mother, who took shelter in the basement.

“I could hear by the tone of her voice that something was definitely wrong,” she said. 

Janet Hull later told WZZM-TV out of Grand Rapids the tornado sounded like a “train coming through.”

The next morning, the family was surprised when more than 100 people from the community were outside ready to help.

McMillan said there were helpers on the roof of the house making repairs and on the ground cleaning up debris like numerous pieces of tin and broken boards laying all over. 

At one point, McMillan said there were as many as a half dozen skid steers belonging to others helping with the clean-up.

A nearby milk producer also took in the more than 200 milking cows at the farm until it’s back in operation while the rest of the 300 head of cattle there went to other farms in the area for temporary housing. 

In addition, enclosed trailers were brought to the farm to use as temporary workshop space and to store tools. 

“It was just unbelievable the amount of support that they received,” she said.

Approximately 50 of the farm’s cows  escaped during the storm because a fence along the property line went down in the storm. 

“They got pretty skittish and took off,” she said. 

She said it appears the cows didn’t go very far, choosing to hang out in nearby fields until they were ready to come back. Some of the cows were walked back to the farm by neighbors

She said the plan is to reopen the dairy farm but it’s too early to predict when that will happen.

“We’re still trying to figure out some details and pretty much taking everything day by day,” she said.

The Hull’s took over the family farm started in 1963 about 25 years ago.

McMillan has set up an account at any Independent Bank branch location for people to donate financially to help with the cost of restoring the farm.

“There’s a lot to do.  I wouldn’t wish this on anybody,” she said.