One-year later: How Selma is recovering from the EF-2 tornado

It took mere minutes for a tornado to change the face of Selma.   

Now, a year after the devastating EF-2 tornado hit the Queen City on Jan 12, 2023, it’s clear that putting the city back together will take a lot longer. 

While there were no lives lost, FEMA and Selma officials estimated that the tornado damaged 3,200 structures, affecting 470 businesses and 1,800 families. Many families were displaced in a city that already had a waiting list of 900 citizens seeking subsidized housing. FEMA announced in July it had provided about $10 million in aid to families affected by the storm.  

Donations poured in from throughout the country.  

The Black Belt Community Foundation took in more than $1 million in donations for tornado relief in 2023 and gave out the funds in two grant rounds to 14 organizations mostly in Dallas County. The groups used the funds to feed residents, buy replacement clothing and furniture, pay for temporary housing, perform small repair work and help with debris cleanup.  

Besides providing monetary support, BBCF also helped with distributions of material goods such as water, clothing and sanitary/self-care products using their Head Start school facilities as storage and distribution points, according to Daron Harris, public relations director. 

A Long-Term Recovery Committee was formed with 30 civic and business leaders in Selma and started giving out donations to help families rebuild their damaged homes starting in June. 

Securing funding and other resources and recruiting volunteers “takes longer than we would like it to take,” said Jay Gilmer, head of the Selma Dallas County Long Term Recovery Committee. “Hence the term, Long Term Recovery.” 

One of the biggest challenges the Long Term Recovery Committee faces moving forward is funding. “We’re not getting the massive donations like we were,” Cothran said.   

The United Way along with the Long Term Recovery Group raised over $400,000 for tornado relief. The United Way and others have been funding cases presented by UMCOR (United Methodist Church Committee On Relief). 

Of the 470 businesses that were reported damaged in the Jan. 12 tornado, most rebuilt or relocated in the area, the Selma-Dallas County Chamber of Commerce reported last spring. 

To help more families going forward, the Long Term Recovery committee is still applying for disaster relief grants and exploring other funding sources, including FEMA. Cothran and Gilmer both praised FEMA for all they are doing in Selma and Dallas County. 

Gilmer said the Long Term Recovery Committee will continue to work smaller cases, but they will also be taking on many larger projects. “Right now is an exciting time for us,” Gilmer said. “We’re picking up momentum. A lot of the things we've been planning for the last nine to 12 months are starting to come to fruition.” 

Gilmer said many projects are already underway. “That includes repair jobs or re-roofing, but also a number of rebuilds underway across the community,” he said.   

United Way head and committee member Jeff Cothran said the United Way is footing the bill to rebuild four homes, and volunteer groups from all over are coming to Selma to do the work.  

“The Mennonite and Amish group will be coming back,” Gilmer said. “They are actually increasing their numbers. There's going to be a group of about 30 volunteers that will be here through March.”   

Samaritan’s Purse is still in town and has already rebuilt seven homes. “I think they have eight more being finished over the next month or two,” Gilmer said.   

The office of the United Way of Selma & Dallas County was badly damaged in the tornado and was rebuilt to be used to house up to 10 volunteers who are coming to Selma to help the city recover from the EF-2 tornado.  

Going into the new year, both Gilmer and Cothran said even though the momentum is growing, the process takes time. Gilmer said some clients are being referred to outside funding sources like USDA’s Rural Development Disaster Program, but he said those programs move very slowly.  

Some storm victims are still working with their insurance companies to get the money to repair or rebuild, and others who have their insurance check in hand are “still waiting for contractors to come fix their house,” Gilmer said. 

Gilmer said although the process may be slow, especially with the outside funding sources, “Over the next month or two, we hope to see a lot of momentum getting those individual clients in a place where we can actually start swinging hammers.”   

The committee is “passionate about Selma and advocating for her needs,” Gilmer said.   

“We know there’s still a lot of people still hurting because of the storm,” he said. “The Long Term Recovery Committee is there for them and will work as hard as it can to make life better.” 

But the right way isn’t necessarily the fast way, so Gilmer and Cothran said they ask for patience and understanding. Gilmer said, “There’s more good to come in 2024.”  

See a gallery of photos taken throughout the hardest-hit area by the Selma Sun and posted on Jan. 25, 2023 here

Read tornado-related coverage from the Selma Sun about the tornado here.