75-year-old Waterford roller rink has roof blown off by strong winds
Strong winds blows roof off Rolladium in Waterford
It's hard for people around to call it a storm. The winds rushed in with a brief, but heavy downpour and then were gone, leaving trees toppled over, including in Waterford. The storm ripped the roof off a 75-year-old roller rink.
WATERFORD, Mich. (FOX 2) - The raw power of the weather was on display north of M-59 in Metro Detroit.
One community after another was hit with gusts of wind, knocking down trees and power lines, and causing further damage.
Local perspective:
It's hard for people around to call it a storm. The winds rushed in with a brief, but heavy downpour and then were gone, leaving trees toppled over, including in Waterford. The storm ripped the roof off a 75-year-old roller rink.
Around 2 p.m. on Tuesday, the weather came in quickly at the Rolladium in Waterford, with the owner's son, Tony Anselmi, saying nature won.
"I hate to be blunt, but that is exactly what happened. Mother Nature kicked up the wind and she won," said Anselmi.
The roller rink was getting ready to open for customers when the storm hit.
"My mom and another employee that was in at the time heard a noise, and they both walked out and just watched it peel back in slow motion like a tuna can," he said.
Big picture view:
75 years in business, 75 years of storms, and nothing quite like this. But the roller rink is certainly a part of the community, which was evident on Tuesday. Firefighters say they arrived as the roof was actively pulling back. They immediately worked to get everyone out of harm's way.
As bad as it looks, no one was hurt.
What's next:
As for a timeframe for reopening, it's too soon to say. Roughly 1,000 people in Shelby Township and Rochester Hills are still without power.