By the numbers: $9.1M in damage, 246 relief checks and 16 new sirens result from March 15 Dexter tornado
The rebuilding process nears an end for these homes damaged along Noble Street by an EF-3 strength tornado that hit Dexter on March 15.
Courtney Sacco I AnnArbor.com
Related coverage:
- Amateur weather spotter recalls chasing destructive Dexter tornado
- Dexter tornado aftermath: Victims still learning to cope with disaster 7 months later
- 7 months later: Dexter woman recalls 'horrifying' March 15 twister, praises newfound friendships
On March 15 a tornado swept through Dexter, damaging hundreds of houses and affecting many families.
Seven months later, AnnArbor.com took a bird's eye view of the event, surveyed the damage, tallied the loss and reviewed the help of thousands of people and organizations that assisted Dexter residents in a pressing time of loss.
Here's a look at the March 15 Dexter tornado and its after effects through numbers:
$1,165,846: The cost to government property and for agencies to clean up the damage, including $537,922 directed toward debris cleanup and disposal and $57,016 in damage to county roads and bridges.
$23,000: The amount the Dexter Relief Fund has set aside to assist with stump grinding along Dexter Pinckney Road. Dozens of trees along the corridor were uprooted by the tornado.
6,000 to 7,000: The number of donations to the Dexter Relief Fund, which raised $333,000 for families affected by the tornado. $274,000 of the fund has been spent.
650: The approximate number of amateur skywarn weather spotters in Washtenaw County, the largest cluster in the Midwest. About 15 percent of those spotters are licensed to use a HAM radio system, which is provided by the government. When the spotters are assisting the county, they're eligible for county insurance if they're harmed.
$500: The cost per year of maintaining the sirens. The sirens cost an initial $20,000 to purchase.
380: The approximate number of homes damaged in some way by the Dexter tornado, according to Dexter Township (although May Washtenaw County numbers estimated that 266 houses were damaged).
246: The number of checks awarded by the Dexter Relief Fund. Check amounts ranged from $75 to $2,500, although most checks were between $500 and $1,000.
145: In miles per hour, the estimated maximum velocity of wind during the Dexter tornado.
40: The approximate number of state police called in to help with the Dexter tornado aftermath.
39: The number of emergency sirens operated by Washtenaw County government. Additionally, Ann Arbor operates 22 sirens, Saline operates two and Milan operates two. Each has a one-mile radius.
36: The number of homes Washtenaw County estimates was either completely destroyed or majorly damaged.
28: The number of people who have applied to the Dexter Relief Fund for assistance with a lawn replacement because of hazardous broken glass scattered throughout their yards. A lawn replacement can cost between $5,000 and $15,000, according to some estimates.
24: The number of trained, radio operating amateur skywarn weather spotters assisting county officials on March 15, A weather spotter witnessed a funnel cloud form at 5:26 p.m. and was the first to report a touchdown to authorities.
21: The number of years Breckenridge has worked as Washtenaw County's emergency manager. The Dexter tornado was the worst disaster he has responded to in his tenure, he said.
19: The number of minutes between the county disseminating a tornado warning (5:07 p.m.) and the first reported tornado sighting (5:26 p.m.)
Hail collected by Julie Miller after the March 15 tornado.
16: The number of sirens being added to Dexter after the tornado. Dexter township is funding the sirens, a relatively rare move by a small municipality. Additionally, the county is purchasing nine new sirens for Scio Township, two for Superior Township and three for Saline.
13: The approximate number of employees working in the 911 center during the Dexter tornado. That's double the amount of normal staffing levels. There are 40 full-time employees at the county's 911 center.
7.2: How many miles of destruction the Dexter tornado left in its wake.
6: The total number of tornado touchdowns between 1992 and 2011 in Washtenaw County.
4: The average number of tornado watches and warnings each year in the county between 1992 and 2011.
1.75: In inches, how thick the hail got on March 15.
0: The number of deaths resulting from the Dexter tornado.
Kellie Woodhouse covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at kelliewoodhouse@annarbor.com or 734-623-4602 and follow her on twitter.
Comments
BobbyJohn
Tue, Oct 16, 2012 : 4:22 p.m.
I am a private home inspector and as part of my work I am hired by those buying newly constructed homes to spend about 4-5 hours going through the home to find those parts of the home that do not meet the building code in effect at that time. Typically one finds about 40-80 things not meeting code that were missed by the municipal inspectors(who spend just minutes at a time at the home). I remember finding that none of the homes at the Huron Farms subdivision had a proper anchoring of the home to the foundation. In all instances, the foundation straps were improperly angled, improperly nailed, and improperly spaced. This is, unfortunately, not unusual. (It is rare to find homes correctly built to code or manufacturer's products required installation specifications) I mentioned to my clients that it would be very rare to be a problem, but that in the rare instance of a tornado or a car running off the road, that the poor anchoring of the house to the foundation could make the difference of a house being severely damaged, needing rebuilding, versus having some damage but MUCH less severe. I was so sorry to see that some of these homes needed total rebuilding that likely would not have been necessary if the homes had been inspected properly by the municipal authorities. As I private inspector, I cannot make the builders fix the problem. I can only inform my buyer to talk to the builder and municipal inspector and request/insist that proper repairs be done. Unfortunately, often times the builders and municipal inspectors will say, "Don't worry, it's fine. Your home inspector is being too particular."
treetowntenor
Tue, Oct 16, 2012 : 1:03 p.m.
Nice article. One clarification about ham radio, though. The government does not provide the majority of the equipment; that equipment is purchased and owned by individual ham radio operators. Their own dime, their own time. The county funds a single radio "repeater" installation, one of many in the county, that links the individual radios together. They also fund the equipment in the main and backup Emergency Operations Centers, where the spotter network is directed. The county Skywarn radio network works because of the close cooperation between individual ham radio operators and the Emergency Management Division of the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office.
Billy
Tue, Oct 16, 2012 : 11:46 a.m.
Well played at the end....well played indeed. That's the best number of all there.....zero.