It was a hundred-year storm, said some. Thin trees snapped like matchsticks; thick ones toppled, one atop another, like felled soldiers. The storm's straight-wind blast left houses with gaping holes, thousands of residents with no power for days, a Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore that is, said one official, unrecognizable, and a cleanup that could take years.
Following a social media blast by Mission Point Press, over 70 local or visiting photographers submitted their visions of the storm, resulting in well over 300 photos from Leelanau County, Traverse City, Old Mission Peninsula, Acme, Williamsburg, Alden, Frankfort, Mackinaw, Kalkaska and Antrim County. The resulting book chronicles the historic, tragic event and includes
- The storm's anatomy ... what caused it, and why it was so devastating.
- A foreword by Bob Sutherland, founder of Cherry Republic.
- Mapped details of the path it followed.
- Extensive photographs showing the storm and the impact on Leelanau, Grand Traverse and Antrim counties – and more – from more than 70 different photographers.
- Stories of the people affected – their heroics and the swift response to repair the damage.