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A tornado hit parts of Alabama Thursday, causing “significant damage” in Selma, the city’s mayor said.
Mayor James Perkins Jr. asked residents to “please refrain from traveling the roadways and stay away from down power lines.”
Emergency response crews were already on the ground to provide assistance.
The National Weather Service’s Birmingham branch asked that people be respectful of areas that have reportedly been hit hard by the tornadoes, noting that it may take the agency “many days” to assess the extent of the storms impact.
“And please be patient with us as we survey the damage and try to categorize something that may be difficult to describe,” the agency said in a statement. “There will be many long days ahead for everyone responding to the areas that experienced these storms, and even longer days for those directly impacted.”
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“We are asking everyone to stay calm and stay in place until further notice,” city officials said in a Facebook post.
Most city streets are closed due to downed power lines and trees, according to another post from the city.
“All schools have reported that students are at school and safe. It is not safe at this point to go to the schools or allow the children to leave the school,” officials said.
Nearly 50% of Dallas County, where Selma is located, was without power just after 3 p.m. ET, according to PowerOutage.US.
A Twitter user posted video of what appeared to be a funnel cloud touching down from their vantage point on Interstate 65.