Michigan district buses featured in disaster film

PERRY, Mich. — Lansing State Journal reports that 11 of Perry School District’s 18 buses were featured in the tornado disaster movie “Into the Storm,” which was filmed in Pontiac and Oakland Township in 2012 and opened in theaters nationwide on Aug 8.

The film is about the biggest tornado in history striking the fictional Silverton (Okla.) High School on graduation day, according to the newspaper.

Three of the buses were destroyed in the making of the film, but, George Gibson, transportation director of the Perry School District, told the newspaper that the district got from $7,000 to $9,000 for each of its three oldest buses, and applied that money toward the cost of eight new buses the district needed. It leased those buses to Warner Bros. for another $3,000. Production crews promised not to damage or put more than 250 miles on the new buses, according to Gibson.

After two months in use on location, the buses were returned to Perry School District and went into regular operation.

The school buses can be seen in the movie trailer below.

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