MUSKEGON COUNTY, Mich. — Clean-up is underway in Muskegon County after Tuesday morning's storms left behind a tangle of downed trees and power lines. Neighbors said they could feel the storm coming from far away.
"Maybe just before 6 a.m. and it was like the wind was just roaring. You could hear, like I said, there was thunder. It was constant lightning, like the whole place was lit up," said Edna Martin, a Whitehall resident.
Tuesday's storms took many by surprise.
"I think we're just kind of little bit in awe, just kind of wandering around. It's like, what do we do? Do we do we get a chainsaw? Do we start calling people?" said Larry Delis, a Whitehall resident.
Whitehall was one the hardest-hit areas from Tuesday morning's storms with trees and debris that fell on homes from the strong winds. One man said he woke to the sound of the wind banging on his bedroom window.
"I was still sleeping. Christine was down on a couch, and she just starts yelling at me. I walked out of the bedroom door, right at the top of the stairs," said Delis.
Delis said after leaving the room he turned around to grab more clothes and saw insulation falling as the tree came crashing into the home.
"Then the door was non-functional after that. I was real close to being a victim," said Delis.
Another resident said she woke up to a tree that completely cut through part of her home.
"I didn't know what came down until we came out and it was over, because everything was kind of shaking and loud and constant. I'm guessing it came down slower than the other one that happened," said Martin.
Point Marine in Muskegon was also impacted by Tuesday's storm after strong winds ripped the roof off one of their buildings. Many in Muskegon County said they're thankful because it could have been much worse.
"I just counted us lucky. Like I said, this tree, that is really the only safe direction it could have gone. So I'm just counting ourselves pretty lucky," said Martin.
Muskegon Central Dispatch said they received over 1,000 calls this morning from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. They continue to advise people to use caution while crews clean up the damage in the coming days.
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