The Moment a Tornado Touched Down in Mich. and Destroyed More Than 100 Homes

DEXTER, Mich. (AP) — Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Deputy Ray Yee was the first officer on the scene in one of two hard-hit Michigan subdivisions where a tornado ripped through more than 100 homes, leaving them in splinters before downing trees and power lines, sparking fires and flooding neighborhood roads.

Yee approached one destroyed home Thursday, and saw a hand sticking out of the rubble. He pulled out an elderly man, who was shaken but walked away.

“That’s the best part,” Yee said. “Every place I went to, I would have thought I would have found somebody laying there – deceased or whatever. But, knock on wood, everybody was OK.”

The slow-moving storm was part of a system packing large hail, heavy rain and high winds. The touchdown was reported in the Dexter and Pinckney areas northwest of Ann Arbor, said Marc Breckenridge, director of Emergency Management for the county.

Crews were assessing damage, but in one neighborhood, a home appeared to be flattened while an adjacent home lost most of its roof and second floor. Houses across the street also sustained damage to their roofs and siding. There were no reports of serious injuries or fatalities, authorities said.

Based on damage, the tornado had winds estimated around 135 mph, National Weather Service meteorologist Steven Freitag said Friday. He said it was on the ground for about a half hour and had a path about 10 miles long.

Sheriff’s spokesman Derrick Jackson said 105 homes were significantly damaged in Dexter and the surrounding area, and 13 were destroyed.

Damage was concentrated in two subdivisions. About two dozen homes in Sharon Carty’s Huron Farms neighborhood “are pretty much unlivable,” she said. “And a significant number more than that are severely damaged. One house, the whole front of the house is gone. Folks whose houses were hit are pretty stunned. We don’t get too many tornados around here.”

She saw no evidence of any injuries.

Carty, 38, said she and her family heard the first weather siren around 5:15 p.m. and were in their basement when the tornado struck. Their house was untouched.

Jack Davidson, 63, said he was watching TV when he heard warning sirens go off twice near his home in Dexter, sending him and his wife to the basement.

When they emerged, Davidson said the couple at first didn’t see much damage and thought the storm had spared the area. But one look across the street revealed a different reality: a flattened self-serve carwash was among the damaged structures.

“It’s bad,” Davidson said. “The pizza shop’s bad. But the worst damage is to the carwash.”

Two blocks away, the twister never touched down.

“I guess we were just lucky we were in the right spot,” Davidson said.

Still, destruction was a common sight in the village’s business district.

A sign that declares Dexter a “Tree City USA” community was bent and affixed to a telephone pole. Nearby, trees lay on the ground, rendering surrounding roads closed or impassable.

Based on video and other evidence, a weaker tornado struck Monroe County’s Ida Township, Freitag said. That tornado was on the ground for about 3 to 5 minutes, and by looking at the damage the winds were estimated at 80 to 90 mph, he said.

“We’re getting absolutely hammered,” Fire Capt. Jim Hemwall of Monroe County’s Frenchtown Township said Thursday night. “We have funnel clouds spotted all around us.”

Hemwall said a house in the town of Exeter was struck by lightning and debris swirled around another in Monroe County’s Dundee.

A third possible tornado was reported in northwest Lapeer County, near Columbiaville. Authorities reported damage in a three mile area there. The storm ripped a two-story home from its foundation, damaged barns and vehicles, and knocked down trees. It packed wind gusts up to 70 mph in Lapeer County and 2-inch hail, the weather service said.

Survey teams from the weather service planned to be in Washtenaw, Monroe and Lapeer counties on Friday to examine the damage.

All roads into the village of Dexter were closed as darkness fell, with police diverting traffic. Area police and fire agencies were going door-to-door searching for any injured, said Jackson, the Washtenaw sheriff’s spokesman. People needing shelter for the night were directed to a local school.

Bill Marx, head baker at Dexter Bakery, said he was closing up shop when he noticed the change in the weather and heard storm sirens.

“I stepped outside and saw the clouds turning around,” Marx said. “It was coming toward us. After it went by, it really started raining and hailing.”

Eastern Michigan University in nearby Ypsilanti also was buckling down for the storm.

“We put out an all-campus notice to students to take cover, and a tornado warning is in effect,” school spokesman Walter Kraft said.

The notices were sent out via text messages and emails, Kraft said.

University of Michigan Health System spokeswoman Kara Gavin said patients were moved into hallways and window blinds were closed in rooms.

Gavin said there were no reports of damage in or around the Ann Arbor hospitals.

The American Red Cross of Washtenaw and Lenawee counties expected to open a shelter at Mill Creek Middle School in Dexter and provide shelter, food, water, other basic needs and mental health services, spokeswoman Jenni Hawes said.

“I’m sure a lot of people are pretty distraught,” she said. “If you know people affected, encourage them to the shelter and get assistance.”

Hawes said a second shelter opened nearby in Ann Arbor, where significant flooding forced the evacuation of an apartment complex.

—

Associated Press writers Corey Williams, David Runk, Jeff Karoub and David Aguilar contributed to this report from Detroit. Tom Krisher reported from Dexter.

 

Comments (24)

  • SychinLegacy
    Posted on March 16, 2012 at 1:07pm

    The moment the blaze editors fail to realize their article title is a sentence fragment…

    Report Post » SychinLegacy  
    • lukerw
      Posted on March 16, 2012 at 1:42pm

      OK… take something off their Grade that you are giving them :)

      Report Post » lukerw  
    • SychinLegacy
      Posted on March 16, 2012 at 2:18pm

      Sorry it’s just slightly annoying to me.

      Report Post » SychinLegacy  
  • COFemale
    Posted on March 16, 2012 at 1:03pm

    That is one force of nature I hope to never experience. I’ve been through hurricanes and tornadoes have touched down in other areas close by, but my parents home was spared and my apartment at Cape Canaveral was spared, but a complex closer to the water had the 2nd floor ripped off and basketball hoops at a school less than 1/8 mile away were bent over.

    They will rebuild, my thoughts and prayers are with them during this trying time. May God Bless.

    Report Post » COFemale  
  • lukerw
    Posted on March 16, 2012 at 12:43pm

    Omen… a Storm hits Dexter (the Right)… skipping over Ann Arbor (the EcoGreens) and all the other Leftists!

    Report Post » lukerw  
    • LibertyUSA1
      Posted on March 16, 2012 at 5:32pm

      I lived a mile and a half from this tornado…I was driving in the golf ball hail storm to get home…My daughter cares for two young children in Dexter. WE ARE CONSERVATIVE!!! And just to let you know….there are a lot more of us here in Ann Arbor…!!! we are stealth…working our magic for America. God Bless those in the path of this destruction.
      My other two young adult daughters took food and coffee to those housed in the middle school. As Glenn suggests…do a good deed daily. They will know we are Christians by our LOVE!!!!

      Report Post »  
  • kfogs1957
    Posted on March 16, 2012 at 11:24am

    Could the people in the first video have been any more dumb or insensative? Thanks for the video, but just pathetic the way they acted.

    Report Post »  
  • American Mensch
    Posted on March 16, 2012 at 10:01am

    I love riding my bike to Dexter to visit the old Dexter Cider Mill. It is a lovely, friendly town and I am sure they will be able to come back after this freakish March storm. Dexter is an authentic old-fashioned small town, with all the small businesses that go with it. I pray these families and business owners will be able to rebuild and start over.

    Report Post »  
  • sensibleadult
    Posted on March 16, 2012 at 9:56am

    Why do people make the most stupid comments during something like this? I can’t believe the idiots on the first video. America is doomed.

    Report Post »  
    • TomFerrari
      Posted on March 16, 2012 at 10:07am

      We do need to pray for and help those affected.
      I fail to find humor in my fellow man’s pain, regardless of their political beliefs.
      May Heavenly Father comfort and care for these people.
      Love and Charity (agape) is what is needed.
      “…the greatest of these is LOVE(CHARITY)”

      Report Post » TomFerrari  
    • friendfor truth
      Posted on March 16, 2012 at 11:13am

      Funny you should mention the first video. I watched it and I was thinking how sad it was that they had to bleep out inappropriate words so many times during that video. I got the sense that those in the background thought this was a big joke or something. Very foolish!

      I sincerely hope that those who encountered injuries, destruction, death, etc. will find the help and support that they need in these upcoming days.

      Report Post »  
  • Huguenot1732
    Posted on March 16, 2012 at 9:22am

    Take a moment to pray for those affected.

    Report Post »  
  • randy
    Posted on March 16, 2012 at 9:21am

    Good thing that out of those 105 homes, only 3 of them had home owners in them.
    All the rest of them were vacant from people fleeing the heII hole commonly referred to as Michigan.

    Report Post » randy  
    • carlylauren
      Posted on March 16, 2012 at 3:25pm

      That is an ignorant comment. Michigan, like any other state, good parts and bad parts. You obviously have not been to the western Michigan, up north, Mackinac Island, the miles of beautiful beaches and nature reserves, or the hundreds of historic and beautiful towns through out the state. I live in the small city of Northville and cannot imagine living anywhere else.

      Report Post » carlylauren  
    • chazde3
      Posted on March 16, 2012 at 4:32pm

      Thank you carlylauren, could not have said it any better. Too many people that have never visited Michigan only see the political issues and financial troubles that have plagued this great state. The natural wonders that this beautiful state were graced with overshadow anything else. Trust me, I am well aware of many of the issues going on within the state, I work in the manufacturing field and spent 2 years after college looking for a job in my field of study. But no matter what economical issues happen in Michigan, it will always be my home and the beauty will always hold a special place in my heart.

      Report Post »  
    • ms.sandman
      Posted on March 16, 2012 at 7:46pm

      Detroit does not define Michigan…

      Report Post » ms.sandman  
  • tiredofprogressives
    Posted on March 16, 2012 at 9:17am

    Good. Could not happen to a better union state.

    Report Post » tiredofprogressives  
    • Lori-4-USA
      Posted on March 16, 2012 at 10:04am

      Hey, there are quite a few of us conservatives scattered throughout Michigan who have watched our beautiful state destroyed year after year either by the politicians running it and/or the unions who have such a strong hold on it and the politicians are afraid of the unions. We do what we can to help save our state, but I think it’s too late. I wish I would’ve moved out when I was younger! My whole county has been destroyed by local liberals and it was such a beautiful county on the big lake! May God be with this people in restoring their homes in Dexter – even if they may be liberals!

      Report Post »  
    • Stoic one
      Posted on March 16, 2012 at 11:12am

      Hey tired,
      I understand your comment. whether you like it or not, these are Americans. I would much rather our tax dollars be spent on them, than: Iraq, Afghanistan, China, France, Germany, Spain, Libya, Egypt, Africa, Asia, South America, or any other d@mn place in the world.
      This is America! Spend our tax dollars Here!

      Report Post » Stoic one  
    • ms.sandman
      Posted on March 16, 2012 at 7:49pm

      That’s changing…the more people that leave Detroit and Flint….the more liberals we’re free of.

      Report Post » ms.sandman  
  • Detroit paperboy
    Posted on March 16, 2012 at 9:02am

    To bad it wasn’t Detroit……. Oh ,that’s right, the Democrats already Destroyed that place……sorry for your loss in Dexter, hang in there…..

    Report Post »  
    • KangarooJack
      Posted on March 16, 2012 at 9:20am

      I laughed at your post (in spite of myself)!

      Watching channel 4 news weather during all this-one lady described how it was just lightly raining and then the wind just suddenly started whipping up-they were looking out the window and decided to head for the basement after they saw a squirrel fly by.

      Report Post » KangarooJack  
    • dblaess
      Posted on March 16, 2012 at 12:55pm

      I must admit to a chuckle about your comment. However, I did check with family in the area to make sure no one was hurt. Thankfully, no one was and there was no property damage.

      I wish I could say the same for destroit. Like Cleveland (Cuyahoga county) the “one party” has destroyed that area and caused great personal damage as well as great property damage.

      Report Post »  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on March 16, 2012 at 8:59am

    Thanks be to God for sparing so many people.

    Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  

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