11 people treated for injuries after tornado touches down in Dundee; storms knock out power across the region
Residents and business owners in Dundee are still assessing the damage of an overnight tornado believed to be responsible for widespread damage, power outages and at least 11 injuries.
Joe Ross, an employee at Cabela’s - roughly 25 miles south of Ann Arbor - said damage is significant in some spots.
Kelly Kirchner reacts while looking over damage left by a tornado in Millbury, Ohio, Sunday. Authorities say tornados and thunderstorms that swept through the Midwest overnight killed a number of people in Ohio, destroyed 50 homes and damaged a high school gymnasium where graduation was to be held Sunday.
AP Photo/J.D. Pooley, Sentinel-Tribune
Cabela’s lost part of its roof, and people staying in recreational vehicles in the store’s parking lot had their vehicles blown around the property, Ross said. Several boats in the parking lot were damaged, and trees were uprooted.
“We received some minor damage, but a lot of other businesses have some pretty serious damage,” he said.
Emergency officials have asked Cabela’s to stay closed until further notice, Ross said. Employees from the store are helping clean the property, and contractors have been out to assess repair costs.
Throughout the Midwest, tornadoes and thunderstorms swept through Saturday night, destroying dozens of homes and upending school buses and police cars in one miles-long trail of destruction in Ohio. At least five people died, including a child, authorities said.
Washtenaw County wasn’t hit as hard by the storms, which dumped an estimated 2 inches of rain in the Ann Arbor area. It was enough to cause flooding in some spots, and the annual Orphan Car Show in Ypsilanti was canceled today due to flooding in Riverside Park.
In Monroe County, roughly 18,000 people remained without power, according to Dan Smith, the county’s public inquiry supervisor. Smith said no estimated time is available for when power will be restored.
Eleven people were treated for non-life threatening injuries, Smith said.
St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Superior Township treated three or four people for minor injuries in its emergency room, and one person was taken to the hospital's emergency room in Saline, hospital spokeswoman Michele Szczypka said.
Smith said crews were still assessing property damage. A state of emergency was declared for the county mainly due to the severe weather in Dundee and Dundee Township.
“Because there has been so much damage over such a short period of time, it’s going to take a while to have any kind of report,” Smith said.
Smith said a roof was ripped of the Holiday Inn Express hotel attached to the Splash Universe water park. An estimated 500 guests were evacuated to a local shelter. Most have been able to return to their rooms, gather their belongings and leave.
Splash Universe representatives declined to comment today.
A spokesperson for the Fermi 2 nuclear power plant said an outer wall to the plant was damaged, and a line running into the facility was also damaged, prompting an automatic shutdown. The spokesperson said none of the damage presents any danger to the public.
Amos Dodson at the National Weather Service said a survey team was in Dundee this morning to determine whether a tornado touched down and how strong the winds were. He expected more information to be available later in the day.
In northwest Ohio, rescue officials were still searching through homes today and couldn't say whether anyone else was missing, Lake Township Fire Chief Todd Walters said. Police Chief Mark Hummer flew over the damaged area and said at least 50 homes were destroyed and another 50 severely damaged, as well as six commercial buildings. He estimated a 7-mile path of destruction about 100 yards wide.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Comments
jjc155
Mon, Jun 7, 2010 : 11:09 a.m.
@Rod J. Cabelas is actually the largest tourist draw in michigan currently.
krc
Mon, Jun 7, 2010 : 7:16 a.m.
I called Cabela's yesterday (Sunday) to get the truth after I had heard a rumor that the roof had collapsed, the store flooded and they were going to have a big 75% off sale. There was also concern for all the taxidermy mounts having been ruined. The employee told me that the damage they sustained was minor. They lost some shingles off the roof and some siding, and they were open for business.
TFT
Mon, Jun 7, 2010 : 12:06 a.m.
wow
Craig Lounsbury
Sun, Jun 6, 2010 : 6:56 p.m.
"Why do people stay in RVs in the Cabela's parking lot?" Because some come from hundreds of miles. A trip to Cabela's is more of a mystical pilgrimage than a shopping event.
Rod Johnson
Sun, Jun 6, 2010 : 5:22 p.m.
Why do people stay in RVs in the Cabela's parking lot?
talker
Sun, Jun 6, 2010 : 4:27 p.m.
Oops, Lake Township, not Lake County.
talker
Sun, Jun 6, 2010 : 3:36 p.m.
The weather warnings of storms tracking east near I-94 and US-12 (Michigan Ave.) included nearby communities to the north, but not to the south. I wondered how they could be sure an unpredictable storm might leave it's easterly path and turn north, but not turn south. I hope people to the south didn't deter them from realizing they were just as much in the path (south of I-94) as Dixboro to the north was. I'm so sorry for people in Dundee and in Lake County, Ohio whose lives were at least disrupted from the storms and in some cases changed forever (especially when a family member died).
DonBee
Sun, Jun 6, 2010 : 3:34 p.m.
I wish speedy recovery to all that were injured.
L. C. Burgundy
Sun, Jun 6, 2010 : 3:15 p.m.
Update from the NWS. EF2 tornado in Dundee has been confirmed:... Confirmed tornado in Dundee in Monroe County...... Confirmed tornado near Rome Center in Lenawee County... A National Weather Service storm survey team has confirmed that a tornado touched down at 211 am at County line Road and Rankin Road in Monroe County. This tornado then tracked east southeast... moving through Dundee at 217 am. Maximum sustained winds of 130 to 135 mph where estimated just west of Dundee... which is classified at a high end EF2. The width of the tornado at that time was 800 yards. As it passed through Dundee... the tornado was still classified a low end EF2 with maximum winds of 115 mph. The tornado then tracked another 7 miles along Highway 50 before lifting at 227 am at the Dixon Road intersection... causing generally EF0 damage to the east of Dundee. The total path of this tornado reached 13.5 miles. A National Weather Service storm survey team also confirmed that a tornado touched down at 148 am at Southard Highway and woerner Road in Lenawee County. The tornado then tracked 2.5 miles east southeast to Springville Highway before lifting at 152 am. The path width was 250 yards with maximum winds of 90 mph as it crossed US 223... which is classified at an EF1. Several buildings were destroyed and numerous trees were downed by this tornado. The survey team will continue into eastern parts of Monroe County where significant damage has been reported in the Monroe and Newport areas. Additional information will be available later today.
Elaine F. Owsley
Sun, Jun 6, 2010 : 1:46 p.m.
Contact the Tecumseh American Legion Post to speak to one of the Sons of the American Legion members. They were hosting the State Convention of the SAL at the two hotels in Dundee and were there during the tornado. They had to cancel today's schedule and their people were asked to evacuate. They can give you eye-witness reports.