Big, Bad Wind Blew Down Little Pig’s House, So He Went To Market: Video

The freaky fast winds that pummeled Michigan huffed and puffed until they blew down a little pig named Hamlet’s house Wednesday. The hapless hog got lost in the storm and finally wandered to a Home Depot about a mile away in Portage, where workers squealed in delight.

Wind speeds reached 60 mph across the Great Lakes state Wednesday, leaving 1.1 million residents without power at the the height of the storm. On Thursday evening, 700,000 people still lacked power, and Michigan’s two utility companies said it could be Sunday before power was fully restored.

The winds wreaked havoc across southeast Michigan and the Thumb area. A University of Michigan plane crashed while trying to take off to deliver basketball players to the Big Ten tournament in Washington, D.C., trees were uprooted and, in Detroit, the gales hampered firefighters’ efforts as they battled an apartment complex fire that left five people dead and four injured.

And in Portage, the winds liberated Hamlet. The pig tale provided some lightness when wind-weary Michiganders needed it the most.

Home Depot employee Amanda Jones told MLive.com that she looked out the store’s side door and spotted the displaced pig standing on a hill. She lured the pig with dog biscuits, fashioned a leash of rope and led him to her garage where she knew he would be safe until she could find his owner.

“He’s super friendly, he’s very sweet,” James told WWMT-TV, adding that his demeanor told her the pig must be someone’s pet.

James posted her photo of the pig on the Kalamazoo Area Lost Pets Facebook page. The Facebook post was shared almost 500 times within two hours, and among those who saw it was Rachael Fairbotham, Hamlet’s owner.

“I almost cried when I finally saw him,” Fairbotham told WWMT. “I didn't think I would again.”

Photo by Quinn Dombrowski via Flickr Commons