Dexter Township Tornado Cleanup Ongoing; Could Take Weeks, Officials Say

As cleanup from the March 15 tornado continues in Dexter Village and Dexter Township this week, volunteers throughout Southeast Michigan are arriving by the busload to help residents.

More than 70 volunteers converged on Dexter Township Saturday to help clear trees and debris on residential property. The effort was coordinated by Hands of Light in Action, a disaster response charity based in Canton.

"Our mission is to assist people in need," founder Nancy Malone said. "We've been out in Dexter since the tornado hit and we will continue to help out as long as we have a list of jobs for volunteers."

Malone said volunteers have been helping with lawn care, basement damage and tree removal. The group even brought volunteers from seven Community Emergency Response Teams from Pontiac to inspect properties for any potential safety hazards.

"Dexter has given us a tremendous gift," Malone said. "It's hard for people to ask for help. A lot of people are still numb and don't know what to do. When we are able to help someone, our volunteers' faces light up. People like to give back, so we're here for the long haul."

Last week, the group brought more than 200 volunteers to the township from Wayne and Oakland counties to assist in recovery efforts.

Township Supervisor Pat Kelly said residents are appreciative of the extra help from volunteers.

"There's an enormous amount of trees we're trying to clear out of the roads and from residential property," Kelly said. "We still have a long way to go before the township can return to a sense of normalcy."

Resident Laurie Higgins was helping volunteers clear trees from her mother-in-law's property on Saturday.

"It's just amazing," she said. "My mother-in-law could never afford to clean up all these trees by herself. These people are saving us two years of clean up between our four acres of woods that are no longer woods."

Kelly said officials have been going door-to-door to assess damage to homes and other properties in the township.

"The No. 1 thing we're hearing is that we need an outdoor warning system," Kelly said. "We're looking at grants and other ways we could fund outdoor sirens, and we hope to take care of that real soon."

The Washtenaw County Road Commission re-opened Dexter-Pinckney Road between Wylie Road and North Territorial Road on Friday. The temporary closure on Dexter-Pinckney Road between Island Lake Road and Wylie Road remains in effect, and a detour route is posted, according to Road Commission officials.

Contact Hands of Light in Action at handsoflightinaction@gmail.com, or visit http://handsoflightinaction.org/ to schedule work for volunteers in the Dexter area.