Sunday, March 17, 2013
Trees from Mary Spence's home, one of the hardest hit in Dexter's tornado last year, have been turned into hand-made picture frames.
Mary Spence's yard was heaped with cherry trees that fell at her Westridge neighborhood home during last year's tornado in Dexter. "Our lot I think was one of the hardest hit. There was $21,000 worth of damage to it, but it was livable," she said. She said the storm took out about one acre of the lot and only left around 12 trees standing. She said she didn't want the wood from the trees to be wasted. "But we couldn’t afford to have the lot cleared," she said. A co-worker told Spence about Michigan company Urban Ashes, which creates hand-made furniture and frames out of salvaged wood from urban settings. Spence said it sounded like a win-win situation and she invited Urban Ashes owner Paul Hickman to assess the trees. [Read more about …
Friday, March 15, 2013
View a community gallery of photos from last year's tornado and submit your own pictures to Patch of the tornado, the damage done, or relief efforts since then.
On March 15, 2012, a Category F3 tornado tore through homes in Dexter Township. It destroyed or damaged more than 200 homes, ripped massive trees out of the ground and caused more than $9 million in damage. Share your photos of the tornado, the damage done, or relief efforts since then. Simply click the gray and green button above to get started. Bob and Katie Jazwinski's home was badly damaged after the tornado hit Dexter Township. They were among the hardest hit, their home almost completely destroyed. Read about how they were finally able to move back into their home. Huron Farms resident Sharon Carty shared her reflections on living through the tornado: "I totally missed the house that was leveled 10 doors up from mine. Walked right …
The Dexter Relief Fund committee and other area organizations invite the community for volunteer sign-ups, food, games and more today at LaFontaine Chevrolet.
In honor of the Dexter community's resilience following the tornado of last year, the Dexter Relief Fund committee, with the help of organizations across the community, is hosting a "Dexter: One Year Strong!" open house 3 to 7 p.m. today at LaFontaine Chevrolet in Dexter. At the event, there will be: Everyone is invited. For more information, call (734) 426-7002 or visit Faith in Action's website or Chelsea/Dexter Faith in Action's Facebook page. This information was provided by the Dexter Relief Fund committee and Chelsea/Dexter Faith in Action.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
It can be completely paralyzing to try to wrap your brain around all that needs to be done in the next week, next month, and next year.
The Friday after the tornado hit, there was a thick fog that lay over Dexter. As it slowly lifted throughout the morning, the remnants of what had happened just hours earlier became clearer and clearer. Twisted siding littered the grass. Puffs of insulation were caught in the trees. There was a jacket in a tree nearby; a bed sheet in a tree around the corner; a plastic blue inflatable pool caught in some bushes a few houses down. The swans in the pond behind my house pushed around a few pieces of plywood floating in the water. The thought of cleaning it all up was overwhelming. I started to think about everything that needed to be done, and stopped. It was too much. I get easily overwhelmed. And I think, in the face of what's happened in …
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Charity always feels good to the person giving it. It often feels terrible to the person on the receiving end.
On Friday around 1 p.m., I found myself in front of Busch's loitering near the yellow pop-up tent and grill they'd set up outside the store. It had been a busy morning. The kind folks at Busch's were giving out free food to help out tornado victims. I was hungry; I forgot to eat breakfast, forgot to eat lunch, even forgot my morning coffee. And I love me some free hot dogs. But I just couldn't bring myself to take one. After all, who was I to take a free hot dog? My house was fine; the tornado passed us leaving just a couple of torn screens and a freckling of fiberglass insulation glued to the house. Some of my friends had to move out of the neighborhood because of the destruction. Their walls were gone, their ceilings caved in. Their …
Paul Hickman
10:34 am on Sunday, March 17, 2013
To learn more about Urban Ashes' labor force and manufacturing partner, Work Skills Corporation of Brighton, MI, go to http://www.wskills.com/about-wsc/ Regarding the location of the planned tree memorial, we are still looking for an appropriate site. Hudson Mills Park is one location we are targeting as well as within the Dexter Park system. The Urban Ashes website will be posting updates on the… more ›