Michigan lawmakers question why Livonia tornado didn’t sound sirens on June 5

LIVONIA, Mich. (WXYZ) — Michigan state lawmakers are asking National Weather Service officials for answers after sirens warning homeowners of an approaching tornado in June failed to go off.

Nearly a month after the EF-1 tornado struck Livonia, cleanup efforts are still underway. On Tuesday, workers spent the afternoon cutting down trees and replacing shingles on a damaged roof.

The worst damage occurred on Houghton St., a neighborhood just off Newburgh Rd. and I-96. The storm knocked down several trees and power lines. One of the trees fell on a family’s home, resulting in the death of a three-year-old boy. His mother was also injured.

RELATED STORY: Neighbor tells how he rescued newborn trapped in tornado debris at Livonia home

Neighbor reports rescue of newborn trapped in tornado debris in Livonia home

Neighbors say memories of the June 5 storm are still fresh.

“It looked like a war zone. When I came in, it actually took me a while to get to my house, which is just around the corner.” said Dave Garbarino, who lives in the area. “Three large trees fell at the house across the street, taking playground equipment and everything else with them and narrowly missing his house.”

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“I just assumed there was a power outage. Of course, I didn’t immediately think of a tornado, so my first thought was whether my house was even still there.” said Samantha Lewis, who also lives in the neighborhood. “I had left about three minutes before it actually hit and was driving to Newburgh because I had a meeting with my mom at Costco and I just saw the trees at Madonna just swaying.”

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Kristin Selwa says she and her seven-year-old son ran into the basement when they heard transformers exploding that afternoon.

“It happened very quickly. It was raining, but nothing that indicated what was going to happen happened.” said Selwa. “I went out the back door and it looked fine, but then I came out the front door and it was just devastating out here. It really was.”

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Before the storm, no sirens sounded to warn families of the approaching storm. Lawmakers are now questioning current warning systems and their effectiveness in rapidly evolving situations.

RELATED VIDEO: Livonia residents: Why were there no sirens warning of a tornado? NWS explains why

Livonia residents: Why were there no sirens warning of a tornado? NWS explains why

“My wife told me there was absolutely no warning. I had just spoken to her on the phone and that’s what it looked like to me,” Garbarino said, referring to the sunny weather on Tuesday.

“We were pretty unsettled by this. My husband was at work at the time and I said nothing happened. Your radio didn’t ring. No sirens. Nothing,” Selwa said.

U.S. Representatives Debbie Dingell, Rashida Tlaib and Haley Stevens sent the following letter to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with a list of questions and concerns.

Dingell Tlaib Stevens Livonia Brief from WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit on Scribd

Neighbors say they are giving NWS meteorologists some grace and hope it will lead to improvements in the system, not necessarily disciplinary action.

“We certainly can’t do anything about what happened, but I don’t necessarily want to blame them for missing out if they don’t have what they need,” Lewis said. “I would be very interested in them getting more tools to help them predict these things in the future.”

“Things like this happen, I understand that. Nobody is perfect. No system is perfect. If someone makes a big mistake, I want someone to be held accountable,” Garbarino said. “I want to see improvements to the system if it doesn’t notice the mistake.”

“An answer would be really nice. I realize that not everything is predictable. I understand that. Especially because I had a small child at home, it was scary. Maybe a little explanation so maybe it doesn’t happen again,” Selwa said. “You know, I think about the little child down the street and if they had known, maybe everything would have been different.”

7 News Detroit reached out to the National Weather Service and received the following statement:

The representatives asked NOAA/NWS to respond by August 5.

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