Updated August 25, 2023 4:32 p.m. ET
Severe weather Thursday night caused widespread damage across mid-Michigan, leaving thousands without power, multiple roads shut down and at least two dead.
National Weather Service staff traveled to Williamston in northeast Ingham County Friday to survey the site of a likely tornado.
The NWS later confirmed that an EF-2 tornado crossed from Ingham County into adjacent Livingston County on Thursday night. Meteorologist Dave Gurney says preliminary information shows that after entering Livingston County, the tornado remained on the ground for a mile or less before “weakening and lifting.”
In a 1:45 a.m. social media update Friday, Ingham County Emergency Management said parts of I-96 were closed due to debris and downed trees.
The sheriff's office said more than 25 vehicles along I-96 were severely damaged, with one confirmed fatality and several people severely injured.
That was not the only death tied to the storm.
Lansing Police Department officers were dispatched Thursday night to the 1600 block of Martin Street for a tree that fell on a house.
The Fire Department arrived and had to extricate the person from the building. That person was transported to a local hospital where they were pronounced deceased.
The victim has been identified as 84-year-old Vernita Payne.
Lansing Mayor Andy Schor declared a local state of emergency Friday afternoon to mobilize local resources.
Eaton County also declared a local state of emergency after the storm. The courthouse and any county government offices not tied to the emergency are closed.
As of Friday morning, nearly 200,000 Consumers Energy customers had lost electricity. More than 30,000 Lansing Board of Water and Light customers are also affected by the outages.
Consumers says it hopes to restore power to most of its customers by the end of the weekend.
In the city of Jackson, crews are working to remove a large number of downed trees blocking streets while Consumers Energy addresses any downed power lines.
Clearing streets is being prioritized first before Department of Public Works staff focus on cleaning up trees from parkways and sidewalks. That could take up to one week to finish.
Tree debris from private property should not be taken from yards and put in the street.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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