Selmer residents continue to pick up the pieces following devastation

SELMER, Tenn. — In our continuing coverage, we bring you an update from Selmer, as volunteers continue to help out and residents begin to pick up the pieces.

SEE ALSO: VIDEO: Aerial footage of aftermath in Selmer

Located at the Selmer Community Center, volunteers have mobilized to provide meals to those impacted by the disaster.

Browns Creek District Association Disaster Relief has partnered with the American Red Cross to help the community.

“What we’ve been doing, we’ve been making sure that the community eats everyday. We’ve been feeding the community. We’ve been feeding around 300-400 people a day, volunteers, as well as, the residents here. And the ones who just cannot get here to the center, we will actually deliver the food to them,” said Pastor Earnest Polk, St. James Missionary Baptist Church.

This weekend’s storms have left several families displaced and homes destroyed.

“One apartment complex, all the windows blew out of it, and so it’s boarded up. So it has been really devastating here in Selmer, Tennessee,” said Pastor Polk.

We walked through one family’s home, where you can see water damage, holes, and debris. Many residents are trying to salvage their belongings, but they are in need of storage totes.

“Cardboard boxes are great, okay? But when you have a house like mine, that’s still caving in, and everything’s wet inside, and you’re still trying to salvage stuff, you can’t put a cardboard box inside. As soon as you set it down, it’s soaking wet. You can’t use it. So anybody that has plastic totes, that’s what’s needed,” said Laura Ebert, victim.

Residents also share that they are in need of a way to wash clothes. The laundromat was destroyed in the storm and several homes that are still standing cannot get access to power.

Teams are currently working to repair downed power lines and assess the damage caused by the storms.

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