There have been hundreds of volunteers working around the clock in the Dundee, Michigan area following last weekend’s devastating storm damage that tore through the region on early Sunday morning.
The damage done by the tornado that touched down is widespread and massive. School secretary Jean Silveria who lives in Dundee Township is still trying to come to grips with the damage done to her home. She lost fifteen pine and fruit trees to the powerful winds. Windows in her home were shattered and her pole barn and garage were totally blown away – she still does not know where they are. Silveria reports that two-by-fours were thrown into her home on highway M-50 “like daggers” during the storm. Dundee police chief David Uhl is very appreciative and impressed by the great number of people outside the area who are arriving to help clean up the widespread damage. He said that even the Google office in nearby Ann Arbor will closed today (Wed. June 9th) so that workers there can come and lend a hand.
Dundee is located about 25 miles south of Ann Arbor. Locals who have lived there all their lives say that they have never seen anything like it as hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged or totally destroyed. The National Weather Service confirmed that an F2 tornado with winds of 130 miles per hour touched down in Dundee and remained on the ground for about thirteen minutes. The area has been described by many as a ‘war zone’. Downed power lines in and around Dundee are making for slow cleanup. Over 200 utility poles were snapped in half or knocked over and as of Tuesday, June 8th, there were still about 800 homes and businesses without electricity in the area.
Police chief Uhl said at a news conference that although the residents in the area need help with cleaning up, he has asked sightseers to ‘”please stay away” as emergency crews have a lot of work to do and that downed power lines have made the area hazardous. He also stated that his department is concerned about scam artists moving in offer help with contracting work so all contractors are required to wear identification bracelets to confirm that they are approved to do work in the small town.
A total of eight tornadoes touched down in southern Michigan on Saturday night and early Sunday. Two tornadoes touched down in Monroe and Berrien counties each while Lenawee, Cass, Battle Creek and St. Joseph counties each reported one twister.