VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — Generators and chainsaws were an all-too-common sound in metro Detroit Friday after severe storms and tornadoes left heavy damage in their wake.
“It was like 5 seconds — boom,” Wes Mckeel of Van Buren Township said. “All the trees started falling everywhere.”
Mckeel was home with his kids when a confirmed EF1 tornado left Belleville and came barreling toward his home, tearing down trees and power lines.
“It was definitely a tornado because there’s a definite path there,” Mckeel said. “You can see the damage.”
Along that path was Mobile Manor Trailer Park, where a tree fell onto a trailer. It then went across a field uprooting more trees and nearly knocking down power poles, also crossing through Amy Snider’s yard.
“I looked out the window and I heard things hitting the house, so I decided it was time to take cover,” Snider said. “I actually got in the crawl space.”
Thankfully, her home and neighbors' homes had no major damage or injuries. But across Michigan, the storms led to five deaths with at least seven confirmed tornadoes — six of them in Southeast Michigan.
The governor declared a state of emergency in Monroe and Wayne counties as the lieutenant governor surveyed damage in Canton.
“We’re really proud of how people have stepped up,” Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist said. “First responders, how community members have stepped up to help one another.”
That message of community was on full display in Van Buren Township.
“It’s a whole neighborhood full of contractors,” Mckeel said. “We got the electrician hooking everyone up with generators, I got the construction company trying to help everyone with trees so, you know, doing what we can.”
Neighbors were thankful for the help from each other and thankful it wasn’t worse.
“I don't care about this stuff,” Mckeel said of damage. I'm just more happy to save my family. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters.”
“We’re all safe and that’s all we could ask for,” Snider said.
At one point, more than 250,000 DTE customers were without power. The company says 80% of those customers will have power restored by end of day Saturday and everyone should have power back by end of day Sunday.
