FERNDALE, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – Severe storms hit Ferndale Wednesday afternoon. Winds of nearly 70 miles per hour ripped trees from the ground, ripped off building roofs and left debris near Nine Mile Road and Paxton Avenue.
“The roofs are on the ground, the power lines are down, it was crazy,” said one Ferndale resident.
“You could just see the stuff flying off the tops of the buildings and stuff like that,” said another.
What remains of the roofs along some buildings on Nine Mile Road did not come without a shock to those who lived and worked nearby.
In the neighborhoods just a few blocks away, home videos show trees swaying and trash cans blowing across lawns.
“It came quickly and suddenly it was gone,” said Laura Mitchum, who said it felt like the storm lasted no more than five minutes.
She shot a video from her home near Ardmore and Paxton avenues.
She said she witnessed her neighbor’s tree being ripped out of the ground and remembers those moments of seeing it go through the wood chipper after the storm ended.
“I think I should be in the basement right now, but I couldn’t stop filming what was going on,” Mitchum said as she watched the storm.
Ferndale police are reporting one injury as a result of the storms. However, a transfer to hospital was not necessary.
Lucas Laster
