Metro Detroit severe weather leaves child dead, collapses gas station
Severe weather collapses gas station roof in Farmington Hills
A blast of severe weather hit metro Detroit late Wednesday afternoon that left widespread destruction in parts of Livonia and Farmington Hills. That includes the rooftop of a gas station that collapsed on two cars, giving one person minor injuries.
FOX 2 (WJBK) - Severe weather in Farmington Hills and Livonia caused major damage to structures after high winds and thunderstorms ripped through Southeast Michigan on Wednesday.
An EF-1 tornado in Livonia was confirmed by the National Weather Service in White Lake Wednesday evening. The tornado touched down around 3:30 p.m. It was on the ground for nine minutes and traveled about 5.5 miles.
An official report is expected to be released tonight or Thursday morning.
Livonia neighborhoods experienced dozens of uprooted trees, making streets impassable. On Houghton Street near Schoolcraft, one tree fell on a house, killing a 2-year-old, according to the Livonia Fire Department.
The child's younger sibling, mother, and grandmother were all inside the house at the time of the tree crash.
"Crews worked tirelessly for over an hour, removing parts of the tree and lifting the tree with high pressure airbags to extricate the victims," said Livonia Fire Chief Robert Jennison. "This was a tough day."
The mom, sibling, and grandma were taken to a local hospital; the mother is in critical condition.
A massive tree came down on a home in Livonia.
"Crazy. It looks absolutely crazy," said Livonia resident Lisa McLeod. "Windy, rainy, hard to see anything because there was so much rain, but you could see branches going like a normal storm. But once you go outside, you were like ‘holy crap.’"
In Farmington Hills, a tree fell onto a gas station on 10 Mile and Middlebelt, collapsing the canopy over gas pumps, according to video captured by witnesses. Several cars were crushed underneath.
One person suffered minor injuries; they were treated on scene, said Farmignton Hills Fire Marshall Jason Baloga.
A fire broke out at one of the pumps. It took 10-15 minutes to extinguish it. Baloga commended gas station staff for shutting off the pumps.
Police and fire departments have been responding to numerous downed power lines and fallen trees.
Rotary Park, at Six Mile and Hubbard, saw localized flooding and downed trees.
Outdoor property has been destroyed in some Livonia backyards.
Deborah Eisel of Livonia said her neighbor's shed was torn into pieces, and her husband saw a tree swirling in the air.
Power outages
According to DTE's power outage map, nearly 23,000 customers are without power as of 10:30 p.m.
"We estimate that 95% of impacted customers will be restored by the end of the day on Thursday," according to a statement on DTE's website. "Keep at least 25 feet away from any downed power lines and anything they are in contact with — consider them live and dangerous."
Over 1,000 Consumers Energy customers are currently without power as well, according to the utility company's outage map.
The most severe weather has passed through metro Detroit, with cities and towns along Lake Huron the last to see severe weather alerts. Extreme weather included heavy downpours, gusty winds, and some hail.
