SELMER, Tenn. — Residents of Selmer are in the process of recovering and cleaning up the damage from severe weather Wednesday night.
Jay Patel, a business owner in Selmer has been cleaning up after a tornado swept through the area.
Patel has been seeking help from his family and friends to save what he can from his store.
He said his gas station is barely standing. The cost to repair is well over $500,000.
Storms rip through Selmer, TN; One confirmed dead in McNairy County
“I went to my gas station at the 7- Qwik Stop and it was pumps down, like all the pumps are gone, canopy is gone, my roof is gone all my pumps above the ground,” said Patel.
The Tennessee Department of Health confirmed one person died from this storm.
Governor Bill Lee is urging residents to stay weather-aware.
“This storm is going to continue, there will be continued tornado warnings, continued flooding, there’s continued danger for Tenesseeans,” said Gov. Bill Lee.
Tree falls on house, injuring man who ran inside
The devastation has been so widespread in Selmer that the American Red Cross had to respond as you can see some cots are empty but other cots have already been set up. The Red Cross told WREG they’re not leaving this area until everyone has been helped.
“We’re here to serve our community, we’re here to help those people who have loss their houses, no place to stay,” said John Alford.
Alford encourages people to spread the word that they operating out of Selmer’s Community Center.
Heavy rain causing flash flooding in Memphis, Shelby County
He said it took more than six hours to gather his team across the state.
“Memphis, Jackson, they’re all on my team but we are all Tennesseans, so we have to come together and help each other in times of need,” said Alford.
“This is mother nature, I mean you really can’t control it, I mean if it’s going to do it, it’s going to do it,” said Patel.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
