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Selma Long Term Recovery Committee Chairperson Jay Gilmer was the guest speaker at the Selma Rotary Club on Monday at the Selma-Dallas County Public Library.

Gilmer discussed the mission of the Selma LTRG, which is to provide recovery services to individuals and families affected by the January 12 tornado that devastated parts of Selma and Dallas County. Gilmer said that services will be provided regardless of a person’s race, gender, disability or religious preference.

“The goal of the LTRG is to see all of our fellow residents fully recover from the disaster,” Gilmer said.

Gilmer unveiled numbers, which he gathered from FEMA, about tornado victims in Dallas County. He said that FEMA had 5,445 applications from tornado victims, which 3,134 are from Dallas County and 2,285 of that group has no insurance.

Gilmer added that the Selma LTRG Operating Structure has three parts: Case Management, Funding/Donations Management and Construction Management.

The Blackbelt Community Foundation, United Way, UMCOR, Lutheran Disaster Response, Team Rubicon, Rural Group are among the External Partners, but Gilmer said there’s always room for a local group to support.

“We’re not making this stuff up as we go along,” Gilmer said. “It’s a tried and true process.”

The Selma LTRG has 15 members.

Selma LTRG Chairperson addresses Selma Rotary Club