FERNDALE (WWJ) — Metro Detroit was slammed by fast moving storms Wednesday afternoon, and Ferndale saw quite a bit of destruction as a result.
While the storm may have been very brief, WWJ's Charlie Langton reports he saw at least three roofs blown off of buildings on Nine Mile near Woodward. The debris scattered across parts of the city, with some of it having landed in a parking lot near and on top of cars.
The Autumn House Apartments on 9 Mile Road damaged, as high winds caused part of the roof to come off. The Voyager oyster and wine bar was also hit hard, with Langton reporting the roof and parking lot were completely covered with debris.
Ferndale Police Chief Dennis Emmi said multiple buildings in the city were damaged.
"We had, obviously, some high winds that resulted in several large trees downed, wires downed," Emmi told WWJ's Luke Sloan, just after the storm blew through on Wednesday. "Transformers are blown in some areas of our city. The wind was strong enough to rip the roofs off some residential and commercial properties."
The chief said one woman was hit by a piece of debris, but is OK.
"We're very fortunate that this didn't result in any serious injuries," Emmi added.
Will electrical service has been restored to many Ferndale residents who lost power during the storm, cleanup was ongoing on Thursday.