Strong winds blow through

Travelers on M-24 had to go a bit out of their way on Monday when driving throughout the township.
According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department’s Orion Substation, a handful of ‘hazard calls? came in around the noon hour. A few more calls came later in the afternoon.
Most of the calls centered on falling tree limbs along Lapeer and Baldwin Roads, but the biggest call of them all shut down traffic on M-24 from Heights to Clarkston.
Windy conditions brought concerns about a rotting electrical post just north of the Starbucks on Lapeer Road.
Fire Chief Jeff Key said that road closure, which lasted about an hour, was simply a precautionary measure, to ensure the post would stay standing.
‘If it had fallen, it would have come down on cars and people,? Key said. ‘It could have been a dangerous situation.?
The situation was cleared around 2 p.m. and Key said they lucked out that the road closure did not come during a busier time.
Power was out along that particular stretch of the corridor for a short time as well, but Lake Orion Police Chief Jerry Narsh said it wasn’t the only outage of the day.
Some village businesses and residents were greeted by multiple power fluctuations in the early part of the day.
‘There were calls and issues because of the sudden bursts of wind,? Narsh said.
Key said other departments in nearby communities dealt with similar problems, but it certainly wasn’t the first time they’ve dealt with such windy conditions.
‘Any time the wind gets up that high, you’ll have tree branches fall and other things of that nature,? he said.