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City workers help Ann Arbor recover one week after EF-1 tornado

89.1 WEMU | By Ana Longoria
Published April 23, 2026 at 7:23 AM EDT
Ann Arbor City Public Works crews clear tree debris brought down by the April 15 severe storms.
1 of 6  — Tornado_City_Public_Works_2026-04-15_Cleanup.png
Ann Arbor City Public Works crews clear tree debris brought down by the April 15 severe storms.
Joanna Satterlee / City of Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor City staff from throughout the organization, including the Community Services Area - Building, Rental and Inspection Services and Planning; Emergency Management; Office of Sustainability and Innovations; Public Services Area – Public Works; and more formed the city’s damage assessment team identifying routes and going door to door in the hardest-hit neighborhoods. Staff gathered for training and again with Mayor Taylor to debrief at the end of a day’s effort.
2 of 6  — Ann Arbor Damage Assessment-EOC_Mayor Taylor with Teams April 18 2026.jpg
Ann Arbor City staff from throughout the organization, including the Community Services Area - Building, Rental and Inspection Services and Planning; Emergency Management; Office of Sustainability and Innovations; Public Services Area – Public Works; and more formed the city’s damage assessment team identifying routes and going door to door in the hardest-hit neighborhoods. Staff gathered for training and again with Mayor Taylor to debrief at the end of a day’s effort.
Joanna Satterlee / City of Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor City staff from throughout the organization, including the Community Services Area - Building, Rental and Inspection Services and Planning; Emergency Management; Office of Sustainability and Innovations; Public Services Area – Public Works; and more formed the city’s damage assessment team identifying routes and going door to door in the hardest-hit neighborhoods. Staff gathered for training and again with Mayor Taylor to debrief at the end of a day’s effort.
3 of 6  — Ann Arbor Damage Assessment Training April 17 EOC_2026-04-15_Tornado.JPG
Ann Arbor City staff from throughout the organization, including the Community Services Area - Building, Rental and Inspection Services and Planning; Emergency Management; Office of Sustainability and Innovations; Public Services Area – Public Works; and more formed the city’s damage assessment team identifying routes and going door to door in the hardest-hit neighborhoods. Staff gathered for training and again with Mayor Taylor to debrief at the end of a day’s effort.
Joanna Satterlee / City of Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor City Public Works crews clear tree debris brought down by the April 15 severe storms.
4 of 6  — Tornado_City_Public_Works_2026-04-15_Cleanup-2.jpeg
Ann Arbor City Public Works crews clear tree debris brought down by the April 15 severe storms.
Joanna Satterlee / City of Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor City forestry crews work on a damaged street tree.
5 of 6  — Forestry Crew April 20 2026.JPG
Ann Arbor City forestry crews work on a damaged street tree.
Joanna Satterlee / City of Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor city staff clears debris following tornado damage at Veterans Memorial Park Ice Arena.
6 of 6  — Tornado_City_Public_Works_2026-04-15_Vets_Park.png
Ann Arbor city staff clears debris following tornado damage at Veterans Memorial Park Ice Arena.
Joanna Satterlee / City of Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor is well on the way to recovery after an EF-1 tornado tore through the area a week ago.

Workers have cleared Ann Arbor’s roads of storm debris and nearly finished putting up a temporary wall at Veterans Memorial Park’s Ice Arena.

Jordan Roberts is the City’s Public Services Area Administrator. He says all hands had been on deck since last Wednesday until earlier this week to help Ann Arbor get back to normal. He says forestry staff have begun going around the city to determine the health of trees damaged by the tornado.

“Assess any trees that may have lost a big limb or a significant chunk to see what kind of additional pruning or trimming may be needed or whether the damage requires the whole tree to be removed.”

Roberts says the progress made wouldn’t have been possible without the commitment of the city’s workers to help the community recover.

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WEMU News Ann ArborCity of Ann Arborann arbor public worksVeterans Memorial ParktornadoSevere Weathertrees
Ana Longoria
Ana Longoria is a news reporter for WEMU.
See stories by Ana Longoria
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