DETROIT – Three weeks after an EF-2 tornado tore through parts of Detroit, one East Side family is still struggling to recover after their home was severely damaged.
The National Weather Service said the tornado produced winds of up to 115 mph, downing nearly 300 trees and damaging 101 homes and businesses.
For Nadine Rivers and her family, the storm ripped the roof from part of their home on Canton Street and sent it crashing onto the porch. Nearly all of the windows were blown out.
“This is my home. My momma left me,” Rivers said. “She told me whatever I did, don’t lose her house. And I didn’t. I fought for it.”
City inspectors have determined the home is unsafe to enter, leaving Rivers’ family of eight temporarily displaced.
They have been staying in hotels and do not have access to most of their belongings.
Rivers said she has been working with the city and calling daily to find out what comes next.
She was surprised Thursday when she saw a demolition notice posted outside the damaged property.
A spokesperson from the city’s demolition office told WDIV the property is in the demolition pipeline but clarified that only the porch is currently scheduled to be removed — not the entire home.
That news offered Rivers some temporary relief as she hopes to save the rest of the house.
“I want to save my home so bad,” Rivers said. “I don’t think they walked in there and seen that the back is really intact. It’s just the front of the house.”
Rivers said the family did not have homeowners’ insurance. They had planned to purchase coverage the week the tornado struck.
Friends, relatives and community groups, including the Red Cross, GenesisHOPE and leaders with the IslandView Association, have been helping the family with meals and other necessities.
But Rivers said the family’s immediate needs remain significant, including water, temporary housing and financial assistance.
“We need our home back,” she said.
Those who want to help the Rivers and Addison family can contribute to their tornado disaster fund: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/rivers-and-addison-family-tornado-disaster-fund.
