CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — Severe storms tore through metro Detroit Tuesday, ripping a roof off a mobile home, downing trees and power lines and flooding major roadways.
Watch the video report below:
In Clinton Township, William Litwaitis was sitting on his front porch when strong winds suddenly hit his mobile home.
"There was rain then all of a sudden, it sounded like a train," Litwaitis said. "The rain was going sideways and then all of a sudden, the roof ripped off.”
The storm tore the roof off his family's home, leaving them temporarily displaced.
"It's a junky, old '72 mobile home, but it's all we have. We don't make a lot of money, but we're not in debt. We pay our bills, but we can't afford to buy a new house, so we're going to do what we can," Litwaitis said.
The severe weather caused widespread damage across multiple communities. In Sterling Heights, an 11-year-old boy captured video of a lightning strike, while elsewhere in the city, a large tree fell into a home, crushed a shed and knocked down a power line.
"The wind just picked up and it was pouring rain. (I) opened the front window, just branches flying everywhere," neighbor Rudy Pienzi said.
Another Sterling Heights resident, David Endicott, described the intensity of the storm.
"The winds came up. I mean, they were just blowing super hard, 40 to 50 miles per hour at least. And then, it just quit all of a sudden. It just stopped," Endicott said.
In Detroit, heavy rainfall flooded both directions of I-75 near 7 Mile Road, causing traffic backups and a freeway closure. The city's Bagley neighborhood also reported downed trees and power outages.
"We got a power line down across our fence across our garage, so we're kind of cut off from the backyard and the garage," Detroit resident Craig Payst said.
Despite the extensive damage to their home, the Litwaitis family remained grateful that no one was injured.
"Things can be replaced, but people can't, so we are lucky. I know things are dire and it looks horrible, but we got out without a scrape. So what can you say, we were lucky and blessed," Litwaitis said.
The Litwaitis family has started an online fundraiser.
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