Tornadoes Wreak Havoc in Midwest and East Coast, Resulting in Tragedy

On Wednesday, tornadoes in the US Midwest and East Coast caused widespread chaos. A two-year-old boy tragically lost his life, and his mother was critically injured when a tree fell on their suburban Detroit home.

In Maryland, emergency responders were dealing with reports of collapsed structures with people trapped inside following another tornado.

Officials in Livonia, Michigan, reported on the city’s website that a rapidly forming tornado struck several neighborhoods in the city on Wednesday afternoon. A large tree was uprooted and crashed through the roof of a house, landing on a bed where the mother and her toddler were sleeping. Rescue crews worked for nearly an hour to remove the roof and parts of the tree to free the victims.

The toddler was pronounced dead at the scene, and the mother was taken to a local hospital in critical condition. A two-week-old sibling, who was in a crib in another room, was uninjured but was taken to a hospital for evaluation.

“This is a terrible tragedy for our community,” said Livonia Mayor Maureen Miller Brosnan. “Our hearts are broken.”

According to city officials, a representative from the weather service described it as a spin-up storm that did not appear on their radars in time to issue a warning.

In Maryland, emergency workers responded to reports of people trapped in collapsed structures after a tornado was sighted during a series of strong storms on Wednesday night. The National Weather Service warned people in a suburban area of Montgomery County, northwest of Washington, DC, to take cover.

Officials in Montgomery County reported three collapsed structures in Gaithersburg with people trapped inside. Pete Piringer, a spokesperson for the local fire and rescue service, said the most significant damage occurred when a large tree fell on a single-family house, injuring five people, including one with traumatic injuries. All were transported to a hospital.

Local television footage showed large downed trees that had damaged houses. Tornado warnings continued to be issued throughout Maryland and Delaware on Wednesday night.