FERNDALE, Mich. – The damage left behind in Oakland County after high winds, lightning, and heavy rains caused a mess, intensifying cleanup.
The excellent news was that those storms have moved out, but cleanup is still underway, especially in Ferndale, where the force of the storms surprised residents.
Severe storms hit the area Wednesday (April 17) afternoon, damaging several buildings and sending one woman to the hospital.
The apartment complex at 9 Mile Road and Paxton Street had part of its roof come off during the storm.
A resident staying on the fifth floor was hit in the head with crumbling debris and taken to the hospital by ambulance.
“I got a phone call around 4 o’clock this afternoon that the roof blew off, and it’s blowing down 9 Mile,” Aliyah Mcgawe, executive director of the Ferndale Housing Commission, said.
Mcgawe said some residents will need to be put up in a hotel due to the damage.
Across 9 Mile Road, several businesses were also damaged, including a restaurant, an auto repair shop, and a vintage store.
“I come up here to shut the lights off, and water is coming in everywhere,” Steve Humphreys, owner of Vogue Vintage, said. “I see all these holes in the ceiling; I wasn’t aware that the roof had blown off already.”