Current:Home > ScamsMichigan storm with 75 mph winds leaves at least 5 dead and downs power lines; possible tornadoes reported -Ascend Wealth Education
Michigan storm with 75 mph winds leaves at least 5 dead and downs power lines; possible tornadoes reported
View
Date:2025-04-12 11:55:47
Severe storms powered by winds of up to 75 mph in Michigan downed trees, tore roofs off buildings and killed five people while leaving hundreds of thousands of customers without power, officials said. The National Weather Service said Friday some of the damage may have been caused by two tornadoes.
In western Michigan, the Kent County Sheriff's Office said a 21-year-old woman and two girls, ages 1 and 3, died Thursday night after two vehicles collided head-on as it was raining.
"There was two vehicles traveling toward each other. One hydroplaned on water and it was occupied by four people," Sgt. Eric Brunner told WZZM-TV.
The sheriff's office said a 22-year-old Gowen man who was driving the car carrying the Gowen woman and two girls was seriously injured in the crash, which occurred when his car struck an SUV. That vehicle's driver suffered minor injuries.
In Lansing, the state capital, one person died Thursday night after a tree fell on a home. Lansing Police Department spokeswoman Jordan Gulkis told the Lansing State Journal that firefighters extricated one person from the home but that person was pronounced dead at a hospital.
In nearby Ingham County, where there was a report of a possible tornado, the sheriff's office said Friday that one person was confirmed dead and several people severely injured as more than 25 vehicles were severely damaged along Interstate 96.
Trees were uprooted, and some roofs collapsed. Many roads were closed due to trees and power lines that had fallen. The National Weather Service in Grand Rapids said officials would be in the field Friday conducting damage surveys on two suspected tornadoes, in Kent and Ingham counties.
Part of the roof collapsed and shingles were ripped off an adult foster care facility near Williamston, in Ingham County.
"Once I felt that sucking, I could just feel the power of it, and I could feel it all shaking, I could feel the roof shaking and coming apart," James Gale, a caretaker of 14 people told WXYZ-TV. He said the ceiling was gone from one woman's room and she was taken to a hospital. Others were taken by buses to another facility.
About 459,000 customers in Michigan and about 206,000 in Ohio were without power as of noon on Friday, according to the Poweroutage.us website.
The storm Thursday night followed a round of heavy rain Wednesday that left areas in southeast Michigan with over 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) of rain by Thursday morning, resulting in street flooding in the Detroit area, including tunnels leading to Detroit Metropolitan Airport in the suburb of Romulus, officials said. Officials reopened the airport's McNamara Terminal on Thursday afternoon. Severe storms developed in the western part of the state in the afternoon.
On Thursday afternoon, airport officials provided additional updates, saying access to the airport was restored.
Another important update to the DTW flooding situation... pic.twitter.com/OqNA7HUpKl
— DTW Airport (@DTWeetin) August 24, 2023
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer activated the State Emergency Operations Center on Thursday evening to provide support to affected communities "as they respond to the impacts of flooding."
Parts of the western United States have been deluged in recent weeks with rain from Tropical Storm Hilary, and much of the central U.S. was beaten down by deadly sweltering heat. In Hawaii and Washington, emergency crews battled catastrophic wildfires.
- In:
- Weather Forecast
- Tornado
- Michigan
veryGood! (425)
Related
- Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
- 11 students hospitalized after fire extinguisher discharges in Virginia school
- Jonathan Majors' text messages, audio recordings to ex-girlfriend unsealed in assault trial: Reports
- Female soccer fans in Iran allowed into Tehran stadium for men’s game. FIFA head praises progress
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- With inflation down, people are talking rate cuts. The European Central Bank may say not so fast
- Big pharmacies could give your prescription info to cops without a warrant, Congress finds
- How should you talk to kids about Santa? Therapist shares what is and isn’t healthy.
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Father of July 4th Illinois parade shooting suspect released early from jail for good behavior
Ranking
- Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
- Academic arrested in Norway as a Moscow spy confirms his real, Russian name, officials say
- Are Costco, Kroger, Publix, Aldi open on Christmas 2023? See grocery store holiday status
- Luke Combs responds to copyright lawsuit ordering woman who sold 18 tumblers pay him $250K
- Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
- Federal Reserve leaves interest rate unchanged, but hints at cuts for 2024
- 2023 was a great year for moviegoing — here are 10 of Justin Chang's favorites
- A judge may rule on Wyoming’s abortion laws, including the first explicit US ban on abortion pills
Recommendation
Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
Julia Roberts on where her iconic movie characters would be today, from Mystic Pizza to Pretty Woman
Why '90s ads are unforgettable
With a rising death toll, Kenya's military evacuates people from flood-hit areas
Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
With death toll rising, Kenyan military evacuates people from flood-hit areas
Use of Plan B morning after pills doubles, teen sex rates decline in CDC survey
Barbie director Greta Gerwig heads jury of 2024 Cannes Festival, 1st American woman director in job