ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. (WXYZ) — Marguerite Johnston saw Tuesday's storm roll through Grosse Pointe, saying it knocked out power and brought down power lines like the one sparking on the ground right outside her door.
"I was coming down this street and all of a sudden, kaboom! A light flashing — it was a transformer over there,” Johnston said.
See crazy viewer video of strong straight-line winds from Lincoln Park below
DTE Energy is warning of the danger, saying they have reports of 1,000 downed lines. They are urging people to stay at least 25 feet away, adding kids and pets especially should stay indoors.
“We cannot stress enough the hazards that can be created by the wire downs that this storm has generated,” said Brian Calka, DTE Energy vice president of distribution operations. "Power lines are not always arcing and sparking and making a lot of noise. Power lines that are really just sitting there quiet are equally as dangerous as those that are presenting themselves as such.”
Watch DTE Energy's Tuesday evening press conference in the video below:
The storm also knocked out power to 200,000 customers, causing damage all over metro Detroit including in St. Clair Shores.
“It sounded like a lightning strike but no lightning hit," said Evan Couto, who was in his living room when the tree went down. "It just blew over in the wind. I heard a loud thud and came out to this... It don't hit any houses. Neighbor had a car in the driveway, missed that by a couple inches.”
DTE says they have thousands of crews out working to restore power and 800 more coming in to help from around the Midwest. Many will arrive late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning.
For the latest power outage numbers, check DTE's website.
