- A severe storm Thursday night in Mid Michigan brought down trees and power lines, causing widespread damage to homes and vehicles across Lansing, especially on Mahlon Street.
- Residents like Jessica Cody, who is pregnant, and James Wortez, a recent homeowner, described the sudden intensity of the storm as windows blew out and power failed.
- The Lansing Board of Water & Light (BWL), along with city officials, launched a coordinated recovery effort, asking for public patience while clearing debris and restoring power
- BWL officials say power is expected to be restored for all customers no later than Wednesday
- Despite the damage, neighbors have come together to support one another in cleanup efforts, showing strong community spirit.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Mahlon Street, in my Lansing neighborhood, looks a bit different after Thursday night’s storm, which brought down numerous trees and power lines. I’m your Lansing neighborhood reporter Asya Lawrence, speaking with neighbors on this street about what they saw and recovery efforts from them, BWL, and the City of Lansing.
"We're all pretty lucky," said Jessica Cody.
Inside this house, right on the corner of East Cesar Chavez and Mahlon Street, Jessica Cody and her husband were getting ready for bed with their two children.
"And I'm 20 weeks pregnant," Cody said.
Just down the block, James Wortez was winding down in his new home.
"We just bought this house in November," Wortez said.
All was calm in the neighborhood—until a storm with high winds and heavy rain ripped through Mid-Michigan.
"At what point did you say to yourself, ‘Oh, this is serious?’" I asked James Wortez.
"When the lights went out and the window blew out of the house," he responded.
When neighbors on Mahlon Street woke up the next morning, they say they couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
"I figured it was just heavy branches—I was not expecting trees all over the place," Cody said.
Trees had fallen, homes were damaged, and cars were crushed by branches.
And this section of my neighborhood wasn’t the only area hit this hard.
The Lansing Board of Water & Light, along with state and city officials, came together Friday morning to detail their action plan.
"We ask for grace and patience. We have to get the trees off the roads, make sure power lines are cleared, and ensure people are safe," said Lansing Mayor Andy Schor.
BWL’s General Manager, Dick Peffley, addressed the widespread power outages in my neighborhood and beyond.
"That’s a very large number, but we have the resources, we have the crews, we have the material. But there are only so many workers you can put on a pole or a tree, so it's going to take some time to get it back," said Peffley.
Peffley says he expects power to be fully restored by Wednesday at the very latest.
In the meantime, neighbors are doing their part—banding together as they clean up their streets, branch by branch.
"Everybody's always willing to help everybody else," Wortez said.
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