Lt. Gov. Gilchrist surveys tornado damage; state of emergency declared for Monroe County

FRENCHTOWN TWP. – Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist was in Monroe County Friday afternoon, assessing damage to the Frenchtown Villa mobile home community, which was struck by a tornado Thursday night.

The National Weather Service office near Pontiac confirmed Friday that a tornado rated EF1 with peak winds of 100 mph struck Frenchtown Township. No serious injuries were reported.

Monroe and Wayne Counties were included in a state of emergency declared by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to make state resources available to help both counties recover from flooding and tornado damage caused by storms early and late Thursday.

The tornado that hit Frenchtown Villa touched down at 10:38 p.m. in a farm field in Ash Township, north of Newport Road and a half-mile west of North Telegraph Road, the weather service said. The twister tracked southeast, hitting the mobile home park, tearing roofs off and flipping one of the homes.

It continued southeast, crossing I-75 near the Meijer Distribution Center. Large tree limbs were downed to the east of the center. The tornado dissipated in a farm field about a half-mile east of North Dixie Highway and south of Post Road.

The tornado traveled 4.88 miles and was 200 yards wide, the weather service said.

This was the third tornado to hit Monroe County this year. The first, an EF0 tornado, went through downtown Dundee on April 1, causing tree and building damage. The second, an EF1, hit the beaches neighborhoods in Frenchtown Township on June 15, damaging several houses.

Tornado strength is measured on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. EF0 tornadoes have winds of 65-85 mph. EF1 twisters have winds of 86-110 mph. The most powerful tornadoes, EF5, have winds of more than 200 mph.

Thursday's storm system spawned six tornadoes, the weather service said. Along with the Frenchtown twister, the weather service confirmed others in Gibraltar, South Rockwood, Belleville, Canton and Fowlerville.

From the Detroit Free Press: Storms, multiple confirmed tornadoes across Michigan leave communities reeling

Gilchrist and his staff began their Monroe County visit with a tour of Monroe County Central Dispatch and Emergency Management on Raisinville Road. Then, they drove to the Newport community to meet with law enforcement, cleanup crews, members of the Monroe County Sheriff's Mounted Division and residents of Frenchtown Villa and Elizabeth Woods.

Gilchrist viewed storm damage from a drone operated by Capt. Dave Raymond of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

“I was seeing huge trees uprooted, the home that completely (tipped over), home after home having shingle damage. I’m thankful no people have been seriously injured," Gilchrist said in a brief news conference.

He offered community residents the support of the governor's office.

“We have your back and we’re here for you. The beautiful thing about people in Michigan is that we step up for one another,” Gilchrist said.

Gilchrist called the storm “fierce and intense” and thanked first responders for their efforts.

“I appreciate all the first responders who have stepped up and the dispatchers for taking more than 300 calls for two hours. I appreciate them being so diligent. They were calling people in who were obviously not working to come in and help,” Gilchrist said. “I appreciate people for stepping up for everyone here.”

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He also praised Sun Communities of Southfield, the real estate investment firm that owns Frenchtown Villa and Elizabeth Woods.

“I have heard nothing but good things. They got the roads cleared quickly. There were here this morning, making sure there was food for people and cases of water and helping them make connections to hotels and resources,” Gilchrist said.

During Gilchrist's visit, Sun Communities employees Paul Jarvis and Joe Deaunee were still hauling pallets of bottled water into the Frenchtown Villa community room, which had no electricity. Earlier, they brought in foods like doughnuts, biscuits and gravy, and pizza for residents who also were without power.

Jarvis said Sun Communities operates about 80 communities in Michigan and many others across the country.

“We have experience with other situation (like this) is the southern region,” he said.

Sun Communities also called in Terry and Dee Allin, owners of Whiskey Jack’s BBQ food truck, to provide free food for residents. The Allins were preparing to have the truck at a car show Friday night, but they canceled that event so they could help at Frenchtown Villa. The Allins provided all the truck’s menu items to residents.

Dee Allin said they expected to serve 50 to 100 residents, but ended up serving more than 200 residents and workers on Friday.

Doughnuts were provided by Kackleberry Farms and JJ’s Construction.

Among those in line for food were Rickey II and Angela Heath and their sons, Richard and Rickey III. Like the other residents, their home was without power.

“We had no way to cook,” Angela said.

A tree fell on part of the family’s home during Thursday's storm. Damage to the structure was minimal.

“It took four people to move (the tree),” Rickey II said.

He said the storm preceded the warning alarm.

“It was 11 p.m. We were in bed. It shook the whole house. When the alarm sounded, (the storm) had already been through," he said.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning at 10:43 p.m. based on radar indications that a tornado was possible.

Also out Friday were Paul and Antionette Byrom, who said they waited out the storm for a half-hour in their bathroom.

“I always heard, if there’s a black cloud that is moving, take cover. They always said go to the elementary school (in a storm), but I was afraid to try it,” Paul said.

Antionette said the school is about 10 minutes away.

Paul said he was praying everyone would be safe.

“It was a gift no one was hurt,” he said.

Freda Vanover, a resident of Elizabeth Woods, spent much of Friday in the Frenchtown Villa community center with her son, Randy Vanover, 15, and her brother, Danny Bolling, who has cerebral palsy.

Although the family had no power, their home was not damage by the tornado.

“God has blessed us,” Freda said.

She said her neighbor's home lost part of its roof. Her son went out to see if he could help people in the community.

Freda praised Sun Communities and others for providing food.

“I can’t believe everything they are doing. They should be commended. And it’s good food,” she said.

On Friday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency for Monroe and Wayne counties because of the severe storms, high winds and heavy rain.

“Communities across Michigan were hit hard by torrential downpours and damaging winds,” Whitmer said in a news release. “This emergency declaration will ensure state resources are available as quickly as possible to help Michiganders in need. I want to thank all the first responders and emergency crews who hard through the night to save lives. We will recover and rebuild together.”

Both counties experienced road and bridge closures; downed trees and power lines; damage to building structures, embankments and road surfaces; overwhelmed stormwater and sewer systems; flooding of residential structures; and deposits of silt and debris. Hundreds of homeowners have also reported residential floods.

Several roads in Monroe County remained blocked Friday afternoon by flooding or downed trees or power lines, according to posts from the Monroe County Road Commission on Facebook.

The declaration of a local state of emergency activates local emergency response and recovery plans, Whitmer's news release said. By declaring a state of emergency, Whitmer has made available all state resources in cooperation with local response and recovery efforts in the designated areas. The declaration provides that the Michigan State Police, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division will coordinate state efforts.

Lisa Vidaurri-Bowling and David Panian contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Lt. Gov. Gilchrist surveys Frenchtown Township tornado damage