At least five people were killed following severe weather across Michigan and Ohio on Thursday, according to local officials, while more than 650,000 people are without power after winds upward of 75 miles per hour brought down power lines.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) said she would declare a state of emergency.
The Kent County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that a 21-year-old woman and two girls—aged 1 and 3—had died in a car crash in northern Kent County amid heavy winds and rain, while the driver of the second vehicle suffered minor injuries.
Jordan Gulkis, a spokesperson for the Lansing Police Department, told the Lansing State Journal that one person was killed after a suspected tornado damaged a home in Lansing, Michigan, while the Ingham County Sheriff’s Office confirmed at least one person died while driving on Interstate 96.
Ingham County police noted that several others were seriously injured on Interstate 96, including more than 25 vehicles that were severely damaged.
The National Weather Service said it was investigating two suspected tornados in Kent and Ingham counties on Friday, after storms “left a swath of widespread wind damage” caused by winds upward of 75 miles per hour.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.) indicated she would declare a state of emergency on Friday, adding Michigan government officials were working with local authorities to survey damage caused by severe weather.
464,032. That’s how many people are without power in Michigan as of 12:05 p.m. EST Friday, including more than 113,000 in Wayne County, according to PowerOutage.us. An additional 206,041 people are without power in Ohio.
Rob Dale, an Ingham County Emergency Management and Homeland Security official, called the damage on Interstate 96 “an absolute disaster,” adding that because “the sun has come up, we’re able to see more damage.”
Areas across Michigan experienced severe flooding on Thursday, after more than five inches of rain caused flooding throughout Detroit. The Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport closed its McNamara Terminal on Thursday, causing about 18% of its flights to be canceled. Whitmer activated Michigan’s State Emergency Operations Center late Thursday, in an effort to to provide support for those affected by severe flooding.
Michigan Storms With 75 Mph Winds Down Trees And Power Lines, Five People Killed (Associated Press)