Selma remains under a curfew Friday night as officials and residents continue digging through the rubble of properties hit by the tornado that pushed through Selma Thursday afternoon.
No deaths have been reported, but officials say the tornado caused about 25 injuries. One person's injuries were so serious they were transferred to Birmingham.
Selma High School is serving as a temporary shelter, according to the Dallas County Emergency Management Agency Director Toya Stiles-Crusoe.
The National Weather Service confirmed that at least one tornado touched down in Selma Thursday at about 12:15 p.m. A tornado watch went into effect at 10:20 a.m., and a tornado was seen on radar coming toward Dallas County from Wilcox County at 11:32 a.m. Radar noted flying debris at 12:15, according to a NWS spokesman.
Damage is reported on Highway 22, including major damage to the Selma Country Club. Nearby Morgan Academy received some damage, but no students or staff have been reported injured. Cross Point PreSchool received some damage and closed, forcing parents to come and pick up their children, according to posts on Facebook.
A member of the Selma Sun staff observed extensive damage to homes behind the Winn Dixie on Dallas Avenue. The Old Town neighborhood has major damage, according to Carmichael, who lives in the downtown neighborhood. “It looks like (the tornado) went right up J L Chestnut,” Carmichael said.
The Selma City School’s School of Discovery received minor damage, but there were no injuries of students, teacher or staff at Selma City Schools, Communication Director Cynthia Millege said.
The county jail was damaged by the tornado, and inmates, including juveniles, are being transported to other jails throughout Alabama, Dallas County Probate Judge Jimmy Nunn said.
In the midst of the storm, the Selma Fire Department fought a fire at a warehouse near the old landfill on Jeff Davis Avenue.
Alabama Power Company reports about 7,000 customers were without electricity as of Friday night. The American Red Cross gave an early estimation of 125 homes were damaged across the state. Perkins said at the city council meeting that some of the city’s public housing units were damaged by the tornado.
U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell said her office has already begun coordinating a federal response. “I have spoken with the White House, FEMA and the Small Business Administration as well as state and local officials including Alabama EMA about securing disaster assistance and expediting all available resources,” Sewell said in a statement. “I will be arriving in Selma tonight to survey the damage myself and assist with recovery efforts.”
Officials encouraged citizens to stay home and be careful in the wake of the tornado.
“Many roads in the area are closed; you can’t get through,” Nunn said. “We ask that all citizens not in need to be out, stay at home and let emergency crews do what they need to do. There are trees and power lines down. It’s really dangerous.”
Perkins said that drivers should treat any traffic signal that is not working as a four-way stop. Citizens should not step over or drive over downed power lines, even if they look like they are not energized, because they could become “live” at any time.
Spire encourages customers to contact them should they smell natural gas. Someone is available to assist customers on their Alabama emergency line 24/7 and if a customer does smell natural gas – a rotten egg smell. The statement encourages customers to leave the area right away to find a safe space and call the Spire emergency line at 800-292-4008 or call 911.
Perkins said at the news conference that the state EMA will take video from a drone to help officials complete a damage assessment from the tornado. Perkins invited citizens to post pictures of any damage sustained throughout the city at #shareyourphotos.
Watch for details as they become available.
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