Selma keeps cleaning up five days after the tornado

Selma, Indiana – Delaware County residents in Selma are still cleaning up after a tornado and severe weather hit the town on Thursday night.

According to Emergency Management, the immediate effects of the EF-3 tornado were felt by up to 50% of the structures.

Brenda Sarah is a homeowner among those. When she reported that the mood had changed, she was taken into hiding in the restroom with her grandson.

“He got down, you know, in a ball in the bathtub, then I just got over the top of him,” said Sarah. “I just kept repeating out loud over and over Jesus, please keep us safe, and I just kept repeating that over and over.”

Her home security system contacted to see how she was doing as everything was tumbling around in the air.

“They asked if everything was okay, and I was like, ‘We’re okay, but the tornado just went through my house,’” she said.

Fortunately, no one was hurt and emergency personnel were dispatched. Nevertheless, the house she has inhabited for thirty years is now in ruins.

“Just walking out, I had no idea what the destruction was, you know, I stayed put in the bathroom. But when you walk out and see, you know, it was almost like an afterlife experience,” said Sarah.

Hundreds of people have visited her home and the surrounding town over the past few days to clean it up.

“There’s a lot of photos. What I found interesting was the report card from 1941,” said David Roach, vice commander for American Legion District 10.

There is currently a lost and found booth at American Legion Post 437 in Selma, where objects are ready to be claimed by their respective owners.

“As you can see, we’ve accumulated quite a few items,” said Roach. “A lot of sentimental, a lot of them not, but they’re here for, you know, whoever they belong to.”

In case you’re in search of misplaced stuff from the tornado devastation in Selma or Winchester, a Facebook group is available to assist individuals in finding their lost belongings.