District Attorney Michael Jackson Rode Out Tornado in Basement of His Selma Home
District Attorney Michael Jackson told WAKA what it was like to ride out the tornado in the basement of his Selma home.
The tornado caused widespread destruction throughout parts of the city when it touched down on Thursday.
The storm took the roof off of Jackson’s home.
“It got completely silent. You couldn’t hear anything. And all of a sudden, the pressure in my ears, kind of like being on an airplane. I could feel it — and then I knew the tornado was on me. And you could hear some crashing and that kind of thing. And I thought when I got out of the basement that I wouldn’t have a house,” he said.
WAKA 8 Chief Meteorologist Shane Butler made his way to Selma to see the damage first hand.
“Tracking these things on the air is one thing. But when you’re able to come up and see the damage and see how powerful nature is. Just take a look at that post. Just snapped it right in two. And of course the devastation on the building, the church back there in the background. I mean almost completely destroyed. Powerlines down, trees snapped, buildings destroyed,” he said.
The tornado cut a path of destruction From the southwest corner of town — all the way across the city — to the Bypass.
The devastation is so widespread in the city that it’s going to take months or even years for the city to recover.
