Devastating 7 tornadoes outbreak in Michigan leaves trails of destruction in its wake, claiming 5 lives

Michigan was hit by severe storms that spawned at least seven tornadoes, killed five people, and caused widespread damage and power outages, officials said Friday.

An EF-2 tornado with winds of up to 125 mph struck Lansing, the state’s capital, on Thursday night, killing an 84-year-old woman and injuring three others.

The woman died after a tree fell on her home, Lansing Police Department spokesperson Jordan Gulkis informed.

The National Weather Service (NWS) also confirmed six other tornadoes in the state, ranging from EF-0 to EF-1 in strength. They affected Belleville, Gibraltar, South Rockwood, Newport, Canton Township, and parts of Ingham and Livingston counties.

The tornadoes knocked down trees, tore roofs off buildings, and damaged vehicles.

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The storms also brought heavy rain and lightning, leading to flash flooding and road closures. In western Michigan, a 21-year-old woman and two girls, ages 1 and 3, died in a head-on collision between two vehicles that hydroplaned on wet pavement, the Kent County sheriff’s office said.

In Ingham County, one person was confirmed dead and several people were severely injured in a pileup of more than 25 vehicles on Interstate 96.

The storms left hundreds of thousands of customers without power across the state.

Wayne County Executive Warren Evans declared a state of emergency due to the power outages, fallen trees and power lines, and storm debris.

The county also advised residents to avoid contact with several rivers after partially or fully untreated wastewater was discharged into them due to flooding.

In Macomb County, an emergency bypass system was used to prevent thousands of basements in Eastpointe and St. Clair Shores from flooding by releasing stormwater and wastewater into Lake St. Clair. Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller said the bypass has been used only three times since 2017 but twice this week.

“Apparently, these storms have become our new normal,” Miller said.

“This has been like a tropical storm, and both government and residents will need to make appropriate preparations whenever possible.”

Canton Township, a community of some 100,000 people, also suffered from flooding in its downtown business district earlier this week.

“Our parks are destroyed,” township supervisor Anne Marie Graham-Hudak said, adding that the township received calls from 200 residents regarding flooding in their basements.

The storms caused power outages for more than 390,000 customers in Michigan and over 120,000 in Ohio as of about 7:15 p.m. Friday, according to the Poweroutage.us website.

The storms moved east across Lake Erie and into northeast Ohio, where they toppled trees and left thousands of homes and businesses without power.

A tornado also ripped through part of Cleveland late Thursday night. It was about 150 yards wide and nearly a mile long.

No injuries were reported, but several buildings were severely damaged, including the New Life at Calvary Church which lost its roof. Church leaders asked members to stay away from the building.

“2 Timothy 4:17 says, the Lord stood with me and gave me strength,” Pastor Kellie Sullivan said in a press release.

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“Our church has faced major loss and we praise God that no one was hurt. Please pray for our church as we start to rebuild.”

Parts of the western United States have been inundated in recent weeks with rain from Tropical Storm Hilary, and much of the central U.S. was battered by deadly scorching heat.

In Hawaii and Washington, emergency crews fought catastrophic wildfires.

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