It was a chaotic scene near the Williamston area overnight in Ingham County with many communities hit hard by the storm.
In Wheatfield Township, damaging winds and rain down poured on crop fields and destroyed homes, with many people waking up in the dark.
At 9 a.m., Ingham County Emergency Management confirmed two people died after the storm. One death happened along I-96 and one was in Lansing.
Additional injuries occurred in cars and trucks on the freeway.
Related: Photo gallery: Damage after severe weather hits parts of SE Michigan
Officials say a tornado likely touched down in an area north of Williamston Road, hitting the Haven of Rest adult care facility.
"Once I felt that sucking, I could feel the power of it and I could feel it all shaking. I could feel the roof shaking and coming apart," James Gale, a staff member said.
He was inside when the storm rolled through and part of the roof collapsed as shingles were ripped away. He was caring for 14 residents who live there.
"One lady was, she was just covered. Her room, the ceiling was completely gone in her room, there was insulation on top of her, siding everything," he said.
That woman was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, but everyone else was OK, and all were eventually taken to another facility.
"I peeled cinder blocks off of a lady's bed and she was OK. All of them had fallen right around her and she was unscathed basically," Gale said.
The potential tornado tore along the area of I-96 with drivers on the road, keeping first responders busy.
"We had multiple crashes on the freeway at the time this came in, so we had multiple units responding to those calls and units responding to this call here," Lt. Michael Randall of Northeast Ingham Emergency Service Authority said.
Eventually, cranes were brought out to help with at least two overturned semis. One driver said she was on the road when it happened. She tried pulling under the overpass to wait it out.
"I just kept my foot on the break and it got real windy, all of a sudden we're in a tornado. There were a couple other cars with us," Michelle Saudenmaier said.
Despite the heavy damages, there have been no confirmed fatalities so far near Ingham County, as many people count their blessings.
Because of the damage the adult care facility suffered, the fire official said it is uninhabitable right now.
