Williamston-Webberville area hit by tornado from Thursday night's wicked weather
WILLIAMSTON, Mich. (FOX 2) - The FOX 2 Drone over the skies of Williamston Township just outside of Lansing, where crews are still tending to overturned semis by the tornado that ripped through the Williamston - Webberville area off of I-96 Thursday night.
Mayor Tammy Gilroy says 21 semi-trucks were involved.
"We do still have some semi-trucks that are unaccounted for, that are in the woods, that were picked up during the tornado and taken off the highway," she said.
In the meantime, home and business owners are evaluating their losses.
"We heard our deck on our house crash, trees crashing into the house. So, lots of violent noise for a minute - and then calm," said Mark Benjamin.
He says that in the storm he lost two of his barns and more.
"We have four wagons in the creek behind my house now," he said. "Part of our structures are all across our fields behind you.
"My wife and I are in the basement under a futon couch cover. Hearing the cat outside of the door and yeah for a few seconds it was, 'Ok how bad is this going to get?'"
At least two deaths have been attributed to the storm according to first responders. Parts of I-96 remained closed as crews did their clean up work. And power is out all across Ingham and Livingston Counties, requiring a major coordination of services.
"My Chief of Police Bob Young have been on point all day long," said Gilroy. "As well as our DPW staff making sure that our lift stations have generators because we are in the Red Cedar River area so we do have that potential for flooding."
