LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Mid-Michigan residents and officials were stunned by the debris and devastation left in the wake of last night’s deadly storms.
Marilyn Hester was at the wheel of a CATA bus as the deadly storms hit last night.
“It was awful. I was coming across MLK, across the bridge and I could barely get that bus over the bridge,” she says. “I had to bring it down to gears so I could get it across the people all on the bus.”
The storm caused her to go into “flight or flight” mode, focusing on getting her passengers to safety.
During all the mayhem, her son called.
“Mom, something just hit the house.” It was a large tree.
Phoebe Biermann’s car was crushed by a tree during the storm. But notifying law enforcement left her waiting for 911 to answer for 9 minutes.
Power lines are still preventing her from accessing her car.
Lansing Fire Chief Brian Sturdivant encourages residents to be patient with crews working to restore power and remove debris.
“This has been a pretty massive storm for this area because it is so widespread,” he says. “And then I was made aware this morning that we may have had a couple members that may have had some personal impact. So, we want to ensure that we can support them, and they take care of their families.”
Lansing police confirm Vernita Payne, 84, died when a tree fell on her on home in the 1600 block of Martin St. last night during the storm.
