High winds topple tree on Redford home, family opens GoFundMe
High winds wreak havoc across Metro Detroit
A neighborhood near 5 Mile and Beech Daly is full of huge trees, and if they fall, well it’s pretty clear how damaging they can be. It all happened with those 70 mile-an-hour gusts back on Friday, and neighbors say when the winds picked up today they took notice.
REDFORD, Mich. (FOX 2) - The weather roller coaster continues to wind its way across Michigan, and while the Upper Peninsula is dealing with record snow, the windy conditions in Metro Detroit are wreaking havoc as well.
Big picture view:
A neighborhood near 5 Mile and Beech Daly is full of huge trees, and if they fall, the damage can be immense.
While the northern parts of the state are dealing with feet of snow and hazardous driving conditions like this tree falling in front of a state trooper, some Metro Detroiters are hoping nothing else falls from above.
"When it’s windy again, does it just kind of feel different when that wind blows? Yeah, you’re looking out the window a little, some shaky trees," said neighbor Debbie Byrne. "I mean they’re all old big trees, and it’s been kind of weird weather, so yeah."
Byrne lives two doors down from this house and says she felt that huge tree fall before she knew what happened.
"We’re watching limbs fall, and I mean it was pretty bad, and I heard this giant one. I thought a tornado was going down our street or something, and then the big, it shook the house," said Byrne.
It was around lunchtime Friday when Michael Baker was on his couch with his two dogs. He says it was like it fell in slow motion.
"It went down in a matter of seconds, but it felt like it was a minute. It was boom, boom, boom," said Michael Baker, whose house was hit by a tree.
The bulk of the tree landed on his bedroom.
"Thank God I didn’t decide to take a nap after physical therapy that day," he said. "The house has been condemned, and it’s too dangerous to go back inside, so my wife and I are left with nothing."
He and the dogs escaped, but now Michael and his wife are left without a home to rent, unable to get their truck and belongings.
What you can do:
A family friend has let them stay for the moment, and others have started a GoFundMe on their behalf. You can donate by tapping here.
FOX 2 also spoke with the owner of the home, who says they have contacted the insurance company but are still waiting for someone to come out and see it so they can assess the damage before making any repairs or giving the family access to their belongings.