Dexter Township holds Independence Day tornado recovery picnic

More than 3 months later, Dexter community is still rebuilding from tornado damage

DEXTER TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Residents of Dexter Township held an Independence Day community block picnic on Tuesday evening.

It is difficult to forget the images we saw in Dexter Township of a tornado that tore the town apart on March 15.

READ: Tornado victims work through weekend to clear away damage

The block party is a celebration of surviving the storm, sharing stories and moving forward.  Dexter resident Bruce Low who remembers the day of the storm.

"One of the pine trees outside the basement window went down, and I crawled under a desk I have down there," says Low.

Bruce's wife, Donna was in the car trying to get home.

More than 100 homes were damaged and 13 were destroyed as a result of the storm.

"All the trees were bending over ninety degrees," recalls another Dexter resident. "Our play set just shot up into the sky.  His daughter says their shed went down as well.

Over three months later, the community is still rebuilding.  Today, there are new roofs on homes, new trees planted and plenty of usable firewood.

"It's something I don't want to go through again," says Low.

Featured at the picnic were two large grills, horseshoe and croquet game play, a fire pit, and a stage set up for a Beatles cover band.

-- The community continues to clean up after the March tornado.