Power Restoration Underway for Southeast Michigan Residents After Three Tornadoes

Utility workers are making progress in restoring power to residents across Southeast Michigan nearly two days after severe weather swept through the Metro Detroit area, leaving three tornadoes in their wake. The National Weather Service confirmed the storms, which brought damaging winds up to 70 mph, touched down in multiple communities on Thursday.

DTE Energy Senior Vice President of Electric Operations Brian Claka described the destruction as among the most significant he has encountered in his career. The utility reported that approximately 450,000 customers lost power following the severe weather that began Wednesday. As of Sunday evening, around 11,374 customers remained without electricity.

Claka stated that roughly 4,000 utility workers were focused on restoration efforts on Saturday afternoon. While repairs continue, the company is urging residents to exercise caution as they clean up debris or operate generators.

The EF-2 tornado in Detroit caused extensive damage to homes, industrial buildings, and power lines along Meldrum and Benson streets. However, New Liberty Baptist Church survived with only a power outage. Pastor Maurice Stimage, who has led the congregation for 20 years, noted that while the surrounding community has faced unprecedented devastation, the church building remained largely intact.

“It’s just devastating. It just feels like we’ve been hit really hard,” Stimage said, expressing concern for local small businesses struggling to recover. “There are many small businesses in this area wondering how they’re going to come back from this type of devastation.”

In Lincoln Park, an EF-0 tornado struck around 4 p.m. Thursday, uprooting trees and damaging the park adjacent to Kennedy Memorial Rec and Senior Center on Fort Street. In a striking example of localized damage, the nearby First Baptist Church was left untouched. Julie Vasquez, a Lincoln Park native, expressed shock at the destruction.

“She was just here at a concert a couple weeks ago and I grew up here. It’s devastating,” Vasquez said. DTE continues to remind residents to keep generators outdoors to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning and to avoid cleanup efforts until power lines are deemed safe.