'See us': Selma's post-tornado recovery on display at march events
Andrea Coleman stood alongside friends and family at a barbeque stand on the 58th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. She reflected on Selma's needs after the tornado.
“Number one, we need prayer, prayer and unity," Coleman said.
For all the destruction that the Jan. 12 tornado wrought in Selma, there were no deaths. Coleman is grateful for that.
“It’s crazy because the devastation that was caused, we didn’t have no one to die, so that was a good thing," Coleman said.
She was driving during the tornado, and the storm totaled her car. She was just able to get a rental car in the past few days.
Still, she said, she is lucky. Her house is still standing. Some people lost everything.
U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell spoke during a church service commemorating Bloody Sunday at the Dr. Michael and Catherine Bullock Community Center on Sunday morning.
She focused on the importance of continuing to support Selma, a city that she said needed help even before the devastation of the tornado.
“Selma needs help. Selma needed help before the storms," Sewell said.
The city of Selma qualified for money through the federal government, money that it did not have to match in funds.
More:Selma's history helps secure aid, but residents are focused on today
More:Groups swarm Selma to help those in need. Here's how you can help.
“We’re reimagining what Selma could be, should be, and we’ll be coming after those federal dollars, my members," Sewell said. "We’ll be coming after those state dollars, and we’ll be coming after the philanthropy and good will of good people who want to see Selma not just survive, but thrive."
Sewell asked for support for Selma from the people in the auditorium.
“It’s about respect. The people of Selma need you to respect us, to see us, to hear us, to feel us," Sewell said. Later she said, “I am not asking you to feel sorry for Selma. We are amazing people. It was the people of this town that brought us the Voting Rights Act of 1965, OK? What we are asking is for partnerships, alliances and support."
Bennie Lewis sat outside a grocery store on Bloody Sunday, chatting with a friend. The January tornado impacted Lewis, as it did much of Selma. The twister took the roof off one of his houses.
Lewis said Selma needs help and that the process to get help should be simplified. Many people simply do not know that help is out there.
The deadline to receive help from FEMA is March 16.
The people of Selma need to come together to help each other. Lewis said that on top of the tornado, Selma still struggles with issues such as racial tension among its residents.
Lewis also worries that relief aid is not being divided fairly. “I hope there’s some oversight over the oversight," he said.
Even with the issues that Selma residents see, community members have still risen to the occasion, going out of their way to help others.
Terrell Roper, the owner of Drumm House Smokes, gave away close to 100 turkey legs when the tornado initially hit. But he said some people still struggle to have their basic needs met, still needing water and food. Some remain in hotels after losing their homes.
“They still have a lot of cleaning up to do," Roper said.
Alex Gladden is the Montgomery Advertiser's public safety reporter. She can be reached at agladden@gannett.com or 479-926-9570.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: 'See us': Selma's post-tornado recovery on display at march events
