By the numbers: $9.1M in damage, 246 relief checks and 16 new sirens result from March 15 Dexter tornado

By Kellie Woodhouse Higher education reporter

Posted on Tue, Oct 16, 2012 : 5:57 a.m.

The rebuilding process nears an end for these homes damaged along Noble Street by an EF-3 strength tornado that hit Dexter on March 15.

Courtney Sacco I AnnArbor.com

(Editor's note: This story is one among several published Monday and Tuesday on the Dexter Tornado, which struck the community on March 15.)

Related coverage:

On March 15 a tornado swept through Dexter, damaging hundreds of houses and affecting many families.

Seven months later, AnnArbor.com took a bird's eye view of the event, surveyed the damage, tallied the loss and reviewed the help of thousands of people and organizations that assisted Dexter residents in a pressing time of loss.

Here's a look at the March 15 Dexter tornado and its after effects through numbers:

$9,141,756: The recorded damage of the tornado, although Washtenaw County emergency manager Marc Breckenridge predicts the cost is likely higher.

$1,165,846: The cost to government property and for agencies to clean up the damage, including $537,922 directed toward debris cleanup and disposal and $57,016 in damage to county roads and bridges.

$23,000: The amount the Dexter Relief Fund has set aside to assist with stump grinding along Dexter Pinckney Road. Dozens of trees along the corridor were uprooted by the tornado.

6,000 to 7,000: The number of donations to the Dexter Relief Fund, which raised $333,000 for families affected by the tornado. $274,000 of the fund has been spent.

650: The approximate number of amateur skywarn weather spotters in Washtenaw County, the largest cluster in the Midwest. About 15 percent of those spotters are licensed to use a HAM radio system, which is provided by the government. When the spotters are assisting the county, they're eligible for county insurance if they're harmed.

$500: The cost per year of maintaining the sirens. The sirens cost an initial $20,000 to purchase.

380: The approximate number of homes damaged in some way by the Dexter tornado, according to Dexter Township (although May Washtenaw County numbers estimated that 266 houses were damaged).

246: The number of checks awarded by the Dexter Relief Fund. Check amounts ranged from $75 to $2,500, although most checks were between $500 and $1,000.

145: In miles per hour, the estimated maximum velocity of wind during the Dexter tornado.

40: The approximate number of state police called in to help with the Dexter tornado aftermath.

39: The number of emergency sirens operated by Washtenaw County government. Additionally, Ann Arbor operates 22 sirens, Saline operates two and Milan operates two. Each has a one-mile radius.

36: The number of homes Washtenaw County estimates was either completely destroyed or majorly damaged.

28: The number of people who have applied to the Dexter Relief Fund for assistance with a lawn replacement because of hazardous broken glass scattered throughout their yards. A lawn replacement can cost between $5,000 and $15,000, according to some estimates.

24: The number of trained, radio operating amateur skywarn weather spotters assisting county officials on March 15, A weather spotter witnessed a funnel cloud form at 5:26 p.m. and was the first to report a touchdown to authorities.

21: The number of years Breckenridge has worked as Washtenaw County's emergency manager. The Dexter tornado was the worst disaster he has responded to in his tenure, he said.

19: The number of minutes between the county disseminating a tornado warning (5:07 p.m.) and the first reported tornado sighting (5:26 p.m.)

Hail collected by Julie Miller after the March 15 tornado.

16: The number of sirens being added to Dexter after the tornado. Dexter township is funding the sirens, a relatively rare move by a small municipality. Additionally, the county is purchasing nine new sirens for Scio Township, two for Superior Township and three for Saline.

13: The approximate number of employees working in the 911 center during the Dexter tornado. That's double the amount of normal staffing levels. There are 40 full-time employees at the county's 911 center.

7.2: How many miles of destruction the Dexter tornado left in its wake.

6: The total number of tornado touchdowns between 1992 and 2011 in Washtenaw County.

4: The average number of tornado watches and warnings each year in the county between 1992 and 2011.

1.75: In inches, how thick the hail got on March 15.

0: The number of deaths resulting from the Dexter tornado.