The Daystar Church Outreach Team have partnered with the Blue Jean Church of Selma, Ala. and visited areas hit by last week’s tornado to assess the damage and begin the process of rebuilding.

The tornado caused damage to 28 counties across southern Alabama and Georgia leaving city officials in Selma to declare a state of emergency.

Daystar Global Outreach Pastor Chris Hopper said that when he arrived in Selma on Tuesday, the scene was very reminiscent of the damages Cullman sustained in 2011.

“They’re a devastated people,” Hopper said.

Hopper said that this trip was primarily a “scouting mission” and that plans are being developed to return with a larger group of skilled laborers. The major focus of their return will be tarping roofs and removing fallen trees and debris.

Hopper estimates that nearly eight out of every 10 people he spoke with did not have insurance and are relying on volunteer efforts to repair their homes and businesses.

“The main source of people to help them, right now, is the local church. It is the hope of the world,” Hopper said.

Hopper has led domestic disaster relief teams across the Southeast from Texas to the Carolinas and to the Bahamas in the wake of Hurricane Dorian in 2019. He said one of the initial challenges they face in these efforts is securing lodging and food for their volunteers.

Thanks to the generosity of Selma business owner Mel Gilmer and his wife Catherine, Hopper said that this had not been an issue.

Hopper said that Gilmer had been at his office at the time of the tornado and sought shelter in the building’s bathroom. When Gilmer emerged, he found the bathroom was all that was left of the building.

The Gilmers have now opened their home and provided food to the crew from Cullman.

“The people down there leading the charge are the ones who have lost everything,” Hopper said. “They are putting their needs to the side in order to benefit others.”