Tornado Kills Area Woman

Helen Hudak, 60, 2901 Patterson Lake Rd. was killed Saturday night when a tornado destroyed her house and several others on the same road south of Pinckney. The Ann Arbor area apparently missed the worst of the storm, which swept through Southern Michigan during thé early evening hours Saturday. The National Weather Service said a number of tornados were spotted as the storm moved eastward. The Weather Service quarters at Detroit Metropolitan Airport lost a wall to the storm . . Ann Arbor city pólice described the situation as one with a lot of water and moderate wind. An officer said the citing amBÊÊm M i ■ of "a fuïrn&cludat PontjTancr Longshore was unconfirmed. Pólice reported a few cars stalled out but they said there were no persons injured and no substanti'al storm damage. In the rest of Washtenaw County there were reports of trees down and some power outages. Milán pólice said they could not confirm the reported sighting of a tornado in that area. An officer there reported high winds and telephone wires down but no damage to houses and no persons inju red. A Washtenaw County sheriff s deputy said the area was hit by a typical spring storm with high winds and rain. He said trees were down on the west side of the county and the southeast corner. There , was some power outage in the Dexter area, the deputy reported. No substantial damage or personal injuries were reported, he said. Brighton state pólice said three houses were flattened on Patterson Lake Rd. One at 2901 was the one in which the woj man was killed. Another house at 4901 I was destroyed but no one was injured. Also destroyed was a house under conI struction at 2600 Patterson Lake Rd. I James Zarycki, 34, said he would start I rebuildingimmediately. The damaged sites on Patterson Lake I Rd. are near Toma Rd. in Putnam TownI ship. Livingston County sheriff's deputies I said there were several houses damaged I on River Bank Dr. near Howell. An exI tensive number of trees were reported down due to high winds. Clinton state pólice reported no sightings of funnel clouds. Heavy rain was about the only thing to hit the area, troopers said. The Weather Service had a tornado I watch in effect from 3:36 p.m. to 9 p.m. I This is situation w;here the conditions are I right for a tornado. During that time a I number of tornado warnings were issued I for individual counties in Michigan. This I notice is issued after a tornado has been I sighted in a particular área. A man was reported slightly injured in ■ Heil where the storm reportedly did the ■ most damage. Besides the home in which the woman ■ was killed, witnesses said three homes ■ were "severely damaged" and as many ■ as 15 homes were "moderately ■ ed." ., I At the Heil Creek ranch witnesses said several buildings were damaged. I 1 Clarence Ahlstrom of Heil reported I three or four children were missing, but I said residents believe they got scared and ran off to safety. He said several elderly residents were treated for shock in their homes. Livingston County authorities later said the youngsters were reported found. Elsewhere state pólice said damage was minimal. Tornados also reportedly touched down farther west near Jackson. Jackson County officials described minor damage, such as trees down. Deputies said no injuries were reported in the I area. M