Five people are dead and around 700,000 are without power after storms surged north into Michigan and Ohio overnight bringing at least one confirmed tornado in their wake.
A 21-year-old mother died alongside her one and three-year-old daughters when their car skidded off the road and crashed into another in torrential rain near Cedar Springs.
‘There were two vehicles traveling toward each other. One hydroplaned on water and it was occupied by four people,’ Sgt Eric Brunner of the Kent County Sheriff’s Office told WZZM-TV.
One person died in Lansing when a tree fell on their home, according to WILX, and another was killed on I-96 near Williamston Road in Ingham County in a 25-car pile-up in winds of up to 85mph.
Michigan has declared a state of emergency and parts of the I-96 remain closed as state officials launched drones Friday morning to survey the damage.
The National Weather Service confirmed a large and ‘extremely dangerous’ tornado was recorded near Williamston in Ingham County at about 9.30pm on Thursday.
Images posted on social media show the damage after tornados passed through Michigan
A building in Kent County, Michigan was among those shattered as the winds passed overhead
Dawn broke on a scene of devastation in parts of Michigan as state authorities launched drones to survey the damage
The storms left 400,000 people without power in southern Michigan and nearly 300,000 in northern Ohio overnight, according to tracker PowerOutage.us.
Some drivers were pinned inside their vehicles after they overturned on the I-96 Michigan State Police Lt. Rene Gonzalez told CNN.
And at least one mobile home was flipped over at the Frenchtown Villa mobile home park in Monroe County, according to WXYZ.
The storms then moved east and hit the Detroit area, leaving some roads underwater.
The storm, with wind gusts reaching over 85 mph, overturned cars, downed trees, flooded towns and destroyed buildings and homes.
State police issued a warning on Twitter: ‘SEVERE WEATHER ALERT: A tornado has been reported to be headed eastbound towards Webberville with debris ball. Take shelter.’
The National Weather Service issued several tornado warnings, including for those in northwestern Wayne and northeastern Washtenaw counties, that were in effect until 11 pm, according to the National Weather Service.
‘At 10:15 p.m., a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located over Salem, or near Novi, moving east at 50 mph,’ the weather service reported.
Police urged people to seek shelter as the deadly storm gathered strength
Some caught the tornado on camera as it passed over Williamston in Ingham County at around 9.30pm on Thursday
A reporter Elliot Grandia from Fox 17 surveys the aftermath of the damage to a home in Comstock Park
Some drivers found themselves facing a river on the road in Royal Oak Michigan
A mature tree was flung to the ground by the force of the storm yards from a gas station
An articulated truck was among dozens of vehicles overturned outside Williamston in Michigan
A tornado ripped through west Michigan Thursday night, along with a round of thunderstorms causing severe damage and leaving over 240 thousand citizens without power
Injuries have been reported in Kent County. A woman and two children were killed in a hydroplaning crash, according to Fox17
‘Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is likely,’ it added.
Kent County Police said the mother and her two daughters died in a head-on crash on the 18-Mile Road shortly after 8pm.
The young woman from Gowen was the front-seat passenger of a 22-year-old driver when their Mitsubishi Eclipse crossed the center line, and struck an Audi SUV.
First responders found the woman dead at the scene but attempted life-saving efforts on the girls before they too died.
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The driver was seriously hurt and taken to hospital as was the 42-year-old Audi driver from Sparta who suffered minor injuries.
‘We have not released the identities of the family yet as they are still working through this extremely difficult time,’ said Sgt Brunner.
‘It’s a pretty difficult notification so we’re slow walking it.’
Fifteen residents at Haven of Rest Senior Care Living in Williamston, east of Lansing, had to be evacuated after part of the roof was torn off.
‘I could feel the roof shaking and coming apart,’ staff member James Gale, a staff member told reporters.
One resident of the home was injured and taken to hospital after she was covered with debris as he ceiling of her room was completely destroyed.
Another was narrowly missed by the cinderblocks that covered her bed.
‘It does appear something had come through here, either a straight line wind or a tornado, we cannot confirm it right now,’ Lt Michael Randall of the Northeast Ingham Emergency Services Authority told the Lansing State Journal.
In Genesee County, six-inch wide tree limbs were down, according to the Detroit News.
Search and rescue operations are reportedly underway following structure damage in Webberville.
The Kent County Sheriff’s Office set up an emergency operation center Thursday night to coordinate rescue and recovery efforts throughout the community.
Sergeant Brunner told Fox 17 that the team was ‘out in full force,’ and calling in extra help.
‘So far what we’re seeing – Alpine Township, Plainfield Township, Grand Rapids Township are the hardest hit communities in our area. Alpine Avenue is impassable,’ Brunner told Fox 17 Thursday night.
He also said he saw a building destroyed and end up in the middle of the road, as well as a gas leak in the area.
And as dawn broke on the devastation residents were warned that the danger is not over.
‘There are still MANY power lines down,’ wrote Ingham County Emergency Management on Facebook.
‘Assume they are all LIVE and do not approach them, do not drive around barricaded roads, and use care when cleaning up debris.
‘Stay safe!’
This home in Canton, Michigan had a narrow escape when the winds brought down a tree just feet from the house
Some cars were virtually submerged as the deluge turned roads into rivers
Terrified drivers watched as trees were stripped of branches on Interstate 96
Crews worked through the night in a bid to keep roads open as Michigan declared a state of emergency
The storms left around 700,000 homes and businesses without power across the two states
The storm, with wind gusts reaching over 85 mph, overturned cars, downed trees, flooded towns and destroyed buildings and homes
Flying debris was scattered over homes and fields by the strength of the wind east of Williamston
‘With a storm this severe, you have limbs, branches, entire trees that are being blown – in some cases – clear across the street, across neighborhoods, so [it’s] that sort of damage that we’re seeing,’ Brian Wheeler, with Consumers Energy said to FOX 17.
‘It could be severe, in terms of the cleanup process, that could slow or affect things, so we’re going to be mindful of that,’ he added.
Michigan State Police said that work was underway to make the roads safe.
‘M-52 has just reopened but there is still debris along it near I-96, and many of the roads in and around Williamston and Webberville remain impassible due to trees. Avoid driving in that part of the county,’ a spokesman added.
