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A severe thunderstorm has caused widespread damage in Dallas County and knocked out more than 11,000 power customers in Dallas County.

The damage has forced all public schools in Dallas County to close on Monday.

Selma City Schools Superintendent Dr. Zickeyous Byrd issued the following statement, “Due to the widespread outages and downed trees in Selma and Dallas County, Selma City Schools will be closed tomorrow. We appreciate your understanding and please stay safe.”

Dallas County Schools will be closed for students and teachers tomorrow.

“Principals, administrators, CNP managers, central office personnel and 12-month employees are to report to work to conduct damage assessments. School staff will be released follwoing damage assessments. Stay safe, and we will keep you updated on our projected opening of school,” School Superintendent Anthony Sampson said in a statement.

Power outages

Jordan Michael Keith of Alabama Power said that as of 7:30 p.m., there were approximately 22,800 Alabama Power customers are without service in central Alabama as a result of severe storms. Power had been restored to more than 1,000 customers in central Alabama within the previous hour.

Of the 22,800, more than half, 11,490, were Dallas County customers.

“Work is ongoing to evaluate damage and restore service as quickly and safely as possible,” Keith said.

As of 9:30 p.m., the number of Dallas County outages decreased to 7,240 customers.

Other areas experiencing outages included:

Tallapoosa County – 3,800 customers

Wilcox County – 800 customers

Lee County – 700 customers

Elmore County – 630 customers

EMA response

The Dallas County Emergency Management Agency said, “Contact the Red Cross at 1-800-Red-Cross if your home was severely damaged.”

Practice safety

With the amount of tree and limb damage, Alabama Power is reminding customers of the following:

Stay away from downed lines. Do not drive over lines or under low-hanging lines. Always assume power lines are energized.

• Keep children and pets away from downed lines.
• Stay clear of areas with fallen trees or limbs where downed lines may be hidden.
• Exercise caution near chain link fences. Dangerous lines may touch the metal.
• Avoid stepping in puddles and standing water after a storm as they may be touching hidden, downed power lines and be electrified.
• DO NOT attempt to remove tree limbs or anything else caught in power lines. Call us at 1-800-888-2726 or contact a local law enforcement agency if downed lines are spotted.

City responding to damage

The City of Selma also posted the following update on social media:

Citizens,

We are out, boots in the ground, accessing damages from the storm that just passed through. Please use this thread to report downed trees and power lines/poles.

Can also utilize the none emergency dispatch 334-874-6611.

Stay safe, and avoid roads, if possible, until advised of safe conditions.