This morning, September 21, 2014 at around 6am in the morning some residents in Rochester Hills awoke to the sound of roofs being torn off, trampolines flying into trees, debris crashing through walls and more as a vicious storm went through the city. The bulk of the damage was near the cross streets of Grandview and North Fairview. As the pictures seen here show, the damage was substantial for several. A multitude of emergency vehicles block off the sub and it has been declared “a disaster zone by officials!” one resident told Rochester Media. It is not determined yet as to whether this was a tornado or a heavy straight line wind. At this time there are no deaths or injuries reported. More information to come in the future.
Confirmed as tornado 5pm here
From Detroitnews.com “Several hours after the 6 a.m. winds hit, the National Weather Service confirmed a 150 yards-wide tornado with winds reaching 90 mph hit homes near Brewster and Tienken.
High winds brought down power lines, snapped a utility pole in half and blew off roofing on homes near Brewster and Tienken. At noon, the scene lo
oked like a disaster area, with several toppled trees, broken windows and damaged roofs. The sounds of chainsaws and emergency responders were ubiquitous, but there were no reports of injuries.
“It was like Mother Nature punched the front of the house,” said Rory McPherson, who lives in the 17000 block of Grandview.
Windows of his house were blown out. Siding bent like paper. A maple tree that belonged to a neighbor toppled in his yard. A slide from a pool blew into the house. He said the storm — which unconfirmed reports say was a tornado” — lasted 30 seconds then was “perfectly quiet.”
Statement from Rochester Hills here
City-data.com reports only 3 tornados have touched down in Rochester Hills.
Rochester Hills-area historical tornado activity is above Michigan state average. It is 93% greater than the overall U.S. average.
On 7/4/1957, a category F4 (max. wind speeds 207-260 mph) tornado 10.3 miles away from the Rochester Hills city center injured 6 people and caused between $50,000 and $500,000 in damages.
On 3/20/1976, a category F4 tornado 11.9 miles away from the city center killed one person and injured 55 people and caused between $5,000,000 and $50,000,000 in damages.
And of course, 9-21-14 with details still coming.
Read more: http://www.city-data.com/city/Rochester-Hills-Michigan.html#b#ixzz3DzJEvw4x
About Tom and Ann Gendich