2 homes, 2 trucks smashed during storms in Southwest Detroit neighborhood

100-year-old oak tree falls on 2 homes

DETROIT – Residents in a Southwest Detroit neighborhood were dreading more severe thunderstorms Thursday after trees crushed two trucks and two homes in Wednesday night's downpour and high winds.

The storms brought down a 100-year-old oak tree, smashing the homes and the trucks in the street.

"My bedroom, which is right up here, there's cracks all in the walls, so I can't stay here with my kids," Felicia Martinez said.

Martinez was hoping the damage was contained to the porch and the roof, but she had no such luck. The only good news is that nobody in either of the damaged homes was hurt when the tree came down.

"My aunt told me to close the windows," Chico Ramirez said. "Not five minutes later, there was a thud."

In the middle of the tree crushing the front of the house, his aunt was panicking over the health of her 3-year-old grandson, who she takes care of. He has serious intestinal issues and had to be taken to the hospital just hours later.

A lot is already on their plate. The tree that fell was on city property, and the city of Detroit got its people out quickly. The homeowners were told to get three estimates, and the city will pay for the repair. The same goes for the crushed trucks. But Martinez said she isn't sure what to do until then.

"My daughter over there, she's not safe," Martinez said. "She doesn't feel comfortable coming in here. She's scared. We were in here today and the wind -- and she was like, 'I want to go.' As a mom, it's hard to hear that she's scared."

The Ramirez home doesn't have interior damage.

You can watch Mara MacDonald's full story in the video posted above.


About the Authors:

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.