The massive, supercharged storm that hit northern Michigan August 2 severely tested the resolve of many residents. On Sunday – just 56 days after that storm -- a new book, "Storm Struck: When Supercharged Winds Slammed Northwest Michigan,” will be released.

Written by Bob Campbell, former Detroit Free Press editor, the book will be released this Sunday, Sept. 27, at a launch event at First Congregational Church, 6105 Center Road, 3-5 p.m. in Traverse City.

The storm tore apart whole neighborhoods and forests. It downed power lines. But it also brought people together in remarkably selfless acts. In researching the book, Campbell says he discovered “very little self-pity.”

“What I found was a remarkable resilience in people considering the damage with thousands of trees – maybe ten thousand – ripped out of the ground.”

Instead of waiting for an official emergency response, people immediately got their chainsaws out and went to work. In some places, they formed impromptu work crews that went house to house clearing trees from roofs and driveways and checking on neighbors. Restaurants fed survivors. Some grocery stores gave away candles, matches and water. A resort opened its doors as a temporary shelter. At considerable risk, one man checked a hard-hit campground to make sure no one was pinned down in tents. There were several dramatic rescues. One woman survived with only a few bruises when an enormous tree fell directly on the convertible she was driving.

“One guy told me, ‘I thought the end was nigh’,” Campbell says. “At first, that seemed a bit melodramatic until you consider that all around him, trees were landing on houses and cars, and limbs were cracking.”

This is primarily a book of photos. The 75 pictures contributed by area residents capture a roiling, other-worldly sky as the storm approached and show the widespread damage left behind. Campbell also includes several short narratives exploring the science behind the storm and recounting the stories of eyewitnesses.

At Sunday’s event, Campbell will moderate a panel that includes Bruce Smith, meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service office in Gaylord; Tom Ulrich, deputy superintendent of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore; and Gregg Bird, emergency management director for Grand Traverse County.

The book launch will also include a slideshow of the devastation, a Q&A session, and refreshments.

“We are inviting people to come and share their stories during the question-and-answer period, and learn about why the storm was so severe,” says Doug Weaver, business manager of Mission Point Press, which published the book. “We’re thinking of the launch as a celebration of the community’s response to the whole thing—how people came together to help out. There were those who never picked up a chainsaw in their lives who suddenly became chainsaw experts.”

Copies of the 108-page book will be available for $20. Mission Point is donating $1 per sale to the Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes. An e-book is also available for $4.50. Hard copies will be available in bookstores.