SISTER LAKES — The Sister Lakes community is recovering after sustaining heavy damage following a Labor Day storm.

Several homes and buildings were damaged during a storm that swept through the Sister Lakes area Monday. On Tuesday, crews were working to clear fallen trees from roadways and homes, while residents surveyed the damage, which included flipped boats, fallen trees and sheds uprooted from their foundations.

Local officials confirmed that the storm also left large areas without power or electricity, including Sister Lakes Elementary School, which had to remain closed during what was supposed to be the first day of school Tuesday, due to a lack of power.

The damage was primarily contained to areas of Dowagiac within Van Buren County, with the storm having a minimal effect on Cass County, according to the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.

To residents and neighbors of Sister Lakes, the damage was shocking.

Sheri Welche, of Dowagiac, was driving through Sister Lakes on her way home Monday. She called the damage she witnessed “devastating and terrible.”

“There were roads closed off and trees fallen into houses,” she said. “We were scared. … It was crazy.”

Welche added that her heart goes out to the residents of Sister Lakes and that she feels lucky that her home in Dowagiac was not affected by the storm.

“They were hit quite hard,” she said. “I hope they are able to recover quickly.”

The storm also took its toll on the Sister Lakes business community. Local brewery, The Strand, was left without power Tuesday as staff cleaned up the wreckage of the storm, which included serious damage to the restaurant’s outdoor beer garden.

Seasonal business, Ramona Mini Golf, also faced losses due to the storm. Owner Harold Schaus said the losses were so severe that he may have to close early for the season.

“There was a lot of damage around town,” he said. “We experienced a little bit about that too.”

Fixtures, including a customer favorite lighthouse, and carpeting at each hole of the mini golf course sustained damage due to high winds and rain. Also, due to the power outage, the course lost all ice cream — more than 33 gallons worth — that it kept in its freezers. Though Schaus said he has not yet calculated the total cost of damages to the course, the ice cream alone was a $1,000 loss.

Though he said he was disappointed about the damage the golf course sustained during the storm, Schaus said he was remaining optimistic, especially considering that the Ramona Roller Rink building, which he also owns, sustained minimal damage.

“That’s just kind of the nature of this business. I try to stay open until the end of September if the weather permits, but the weather didn’t permit this year,” he said. “It definitely could have been worse. I expected a lot worse; there was certainly a lot worse around us.”