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Cleanup efforts underway following dangerous storms in metro Detroit

Posted at 5:36 AM, Jul 08, 2021
and last updated 2021-07-08 18:20:27-04

(WXYZ) — Residents across metro Detroit are waking up to massive power outages and storm damage Thursday morning.

RELATED: DTE Energy reporting more than 120,000 without power after storms hit area

Major cleanup efforts are underway after severe weather Wednesday night.

After taking cover to avoid danger, some residents returned home to find a lightning strike had split a tree on their front lawn. Moments before, dark and stormy clouds swept through parts of Farmington Hills and West Bloomfield.

In Southfield, strong rain pounded the area, and a similar scene was in West Bloomfield near 15 Mile and Orchard Lake, with intense hail making itself known.

Ken Klemmer lives inside a historic neighborhood on Ardmore. He discovered nearly every tree on his property is down or damaged.

"They're removing a 100-year-old tree here when the house was built in 1925," he said. "I was in my office at the time and heard the noise."

DTE says the violent weather resulted in significant damage across the service territory, including nearly 800 downed wires, broken poles and tree-related damage.