Selma cemetery leaders ask for patience as they work to cleanup tornado debris two months later

The Selma cemetery director is asking residents for patience as his department works to clean up large trees that are blocking access throughout New and Old Live Oak cemeteries from the Jan. 12 tornado.

The EF2 tornado ripped right over the cemeteries on Dallas Avenue, bringing down large, old trees. The cemetery has remained closed since the storm, which has sent many residents and those with loved ones buried there to share outrage on social media.

In response Reginald Wells, cemetery director, wrote a letter dated March 7 and posted by the city on their Facebook page on March 13 asking for patience as the department works to restore the property after damage from the tornado that hit two months ago.

Wells says efforts are moving forward and preparing to restore the cemeteries to "their sacred presence" and described it as an "arduous process" that is "frustrating and challenging to say the least."

"We are asking for your continued patience and support as we move forward legally and safely," Wells said in a statement.