Governor Rick Snyder meets tornado victims in Dexter and dicusses state aid for damaged area

DEXTER, Mich. (WXYZ) - When the storms hit Washtenaw County a majority of people were still at work.  Those who were home when the tornado touched down at 5:33 pm had ample time to take cover.  The tornado sirens went off at 5:09 p.m.

 “I think it’s just a blessing.  When you look at the path and the physical destruction at the homes and the fact that no one was seriously injured, it’s amazing,” said Washtenaw County Sheriff Jerry Clayton.

Sheriff Clayton said the county is assessing the damage done to individual homes and public structures before requesting state aid.  Governor Rick Snyder walked through the Huron Farms community earlier in the day.  The subdivision was the hardest hit by the tornado.  Huron Meadows was another hard hit area.

“We really follow the lead on the county on something like this.  They do their assessment and they come back to us to see how we can help the best so we are waiting to hear back from them.  They’ve done a fabulous job,” said Gov. Rick Snyder.

100 homes have been damaged in some way.  13 completely destroyed.  The Michigan State Police, the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department and seven area fire agencies rescued any trapped residents.

 “Yesterday we had a quick response, tons of people helping out from the community.  Just friends, it’s just amazing to see when you’re in a pinch like this how helpful people can be,” said James Boynton.

Removing debris from the roadways has been essential to reopening main roads like Dexter-Pinckney Road, shut down because of downed trees and power lines.  DTE is addressing gas and electric needs and backup generators kicked in for the village’s water and sewage system so the water is safe to drink.

“It’s going to be a lot of hard work to help people get their lives back in order and we all want to be a part of that,” said Gov. Rick Snyder.

Residents who still need essentials should call the United Way at 211.