Northern Michigan Wineries Assess Damage, Sleeping Bear Dunes Area Partially Reopens After Storms

EMPIRE, Mich. (WWJ/AP) - Wineries in the northern Michigan again continue the clean-up after a fierce summer storm hit the area last Sunday. Patrick Brys is operations manager for Brys Estate & Winery in Traverse City and says hail caused a lot of damage.

"When hail hits grapes, it kind of ruptures them and so then they actually shrivel up and then they don't make it for the rest of the season," says Brys.

He says they're looking at a 20 to 30 percent reduction in crop from the storm itself on top of damage from a harsh winter and a May freeze.

Meanwhile, authorities say they have reopened parts of northern Michigan's Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore about a week after severe storms and violent winds uprooted trees and spoiled the landscape in the popular tourist area.

The National Park Service announced Saturday the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive and Dune Climb have partially reopened. The Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail also has been cleared from Empire to Glen Haven, but the stretch between Glen Haven and Glen Arbor remains closed.

Park officials say access to the descent from the Lake Michigan Overlook is prohibited because of frequent emergency calls. Since Leelanau County is recovering from the damage, authorities have limited availability to respond.

The region was particularly hard hit during the Aug. 2 storm. Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses lost power statewide.

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