The path of the storm

All that's left of one of the houses post-tornado --
A fence around the hole in the ground - and notice that we ALL will rebuild!

I decided yesterday to do some cross training on my trusty Fuji Odessa 2.0 by following the 7.3 mile path of the 800 yard wide EF-3 tornado that struck Dexter MI on March 15th.  According to the National Weather Service, there have only been 8 tornadoes in March in Michigan in the last 61 years.  This storm damaged over 200 homes, rendered 13 completely demolished, with NO loss of life.  Amazing.

Even more amazing is the level of damage still apparent 20 days later, side by side with the continuing work to rebuild and recover.  An overview of the damaged neighborhoods looks at first like a sea of blue -- tarps covering the damaged roofs, and sounds like a brand new neighborhood being constructed.

The corner of York and Noble - one of the hardest hit areas

Part of Dexter-Pinckney road is still closed to the public.  There are mountains of woodchips, and a mile strip of downed brush.  If you look carefully at the tops of the trees in the distance by the river you can still see bits of clothing, siding, curtains, and other debris hanging where the tornado left it. Some of the houses had no roof damage, but the dents on the siding are frightening reminders of the force of the flying debris.  In some areas every tree, large and small, are snapped in half.  Across the street there is no evidence that anything happened.

Dexter Carwash 3 weeks after the tornado 

The Dexter Carwash became famous in this video by the Minick family who received more than the workout they anticipated that evening.  Three weeks later and it's still obvious that the prayers you hear in the recording didn't fall on deaf ears; they must not have been in the 3rd bay.

I have been enjoying the great weather, and am happy that it has allowed me to get some extra time exercising outside, both running and other cross-training activities.  It was a very interesting bike ride last night, most certainly, but I have to say I prefer my touring activities to be a bit more mundane.  There really isn't a satisfactory way to express sufficient KUDOS to all the folks who endured the damage, and are well on their way to rebuilding their houses and lives.

4/05/12 - 3.0 miles |  37 min | 4.8 mph | 323 kcal