The normally idyllic summer life that typifies the White Lake area was interrupted by a vicious storm early Tuesday morning that sent sustained winds pushing 70 miles per hour through the area, causing a slew of damage and briefly making large chunks of Whitehall impassable for drivers.
The storms surged through between 5:30 and 6 a.m., knocking down trees and power lines throughout the area, which in turn damaged homes, knocked out electricity and made it nearly impossible to travel. The Michigan State Police said in the early hours of the recovery effort that about half of the roads in Muskegon County were impassable, and the White Lake Fire Authority posted to Facebook early Tuesday morning that the entirety of Whitehall, and Fruitland Township, were not navigable.
Recovery efforts continue, and by Thursday most (though not all) local roads had been cleared out enough to drive through. Social media posts indicated Colby Street regained power Wednesday evening, and multiple businesses announced plans to reopen Thursday.
At press time, the Michigan State Police had reported three injuries in the Muskegon area due to the storms. Not all homes in the area have regained power.
Friends and neighbors throughout the area spent much of their days Tuesday and Wednesday helping assess and clean up damage where they could.
Attempts to reach the City of Whitehall for comment on Tuesday’s events had been unsuccessful at press time.
