'I thought my boat was gonna come out of the water': Storms packing high winds cause damage at Macomb County marina

HARRISON TWP. (WWJ) — Cleanup efforts are underway after strong winds caused damage across Macomb County Tuesday evening.

While parts of Southwest Michigan saw multiple tornadoes cause heavy damage, thunderstorms and high winds slammed into Metro Detroit hours later.

Among the hardest hit areas in Macomb County was Lambrecht Marina in Harrison Township, near the mouth of the Clinton River where it enters Lake St. Clair.

Multiple boats were damaged by flying debris, while a covered well — used for parking boats out of the elements — was ripped apart and came crashing down on some expensive boats, WWJ’s Mike Campbell reported from the scene.

One of those damaged boats was a one-of-a-kind, fully restored mahogany 1960s Chris Craft Cruiser.

“It’s just a shame. A lot of people, a lot of hard work. And the insurance companies aren’t gonna give people what it’s worth in people’s hearts for their boats. But it is what it is, life goes on,” said boater Larry Potter.

Steve Tobin told WWJ he and his wife were on their boat at the marina when the wind started ripping across the area.

“Half the building’s gone. It just peeled it right back,” Tobin said of the covered well. “The straight line winds were horrendous. I thought my boat was gonna come out of the water.”

Elsewhere in Macomb County the heavy storms brought down trees and power lines. The county saw the most damage of anywhere in Metro Detroit.

DTE Energy on Wednesday afternoon was reporting about 5,700 homes and businesses across their service area were without power, most of which were in the eastern part of Macomb County.

Damage was much more severe on the other side of the state, as at least three tornadoes have been reported — two in Portage, just south of Kalamazoo, and one near Union City, south of Battle Creek.

The National Weather Service is continuing to investigate the storms and working to confirm how many tornadoes were spotted during Tuesday’s outbreak.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has declared a state of emergency for Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, Branch, and Cass Counties.

By declaring a state of emergency, Whitmer makes available all state resources in cooperation with local response and recovery efforts in the designated area. The declaration authorizes the Michigan State Police, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division (MSP/EMHSD) to coordinate state efforts above and beyond what MSP/EMHSD has already been doing in conjunction with local agencies.