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One of the four interior bathrooms that became the safe place for 84 children and staff members. |
In the early morning of January 12, 2023, the director of Crosspoint Daycare in Selma, Alabama, gave her employees a quick overview of the potential for severe weather later that day. She had done this numerous times before, but this day would be different. Sharon Reid had 72 children ages 0 - 5 years old and 12 staff members in her care that morning. They watched the television for updates, and for several hours, the weather was relatively quiet, until around 11:32 am, when a tornado warning was issued for Dallas County, Alabama.
The historic city of Selma is located in east-central Dallas County. The largest city in the county, it was located within the tornado warning polygon, and Crosspoint Daycare, on the southwest side of town, was directly in the center.
Daycares are complicated locations to shelter in place because of the time it takes to direct restless and upset children, toddlers and infants. Advance lead time is critical. As they had practiced multiple times before, Sharon directed the staff to move to their safe places. They knew exactly what to do, bringing all children into the main brick structure to sit in the hallways with their heads covered.
Thirty minutes later, at 12:02 pm, a powerful EF-2 tornado formed and moved quickly at 50 mph towards the southwest portion of town. At that moment, Sharon made a critical decision to change their safety plan. She knew that the tornado was going to directly impact the school, and more importantly, she knew that interior bathrooms were an even safer place to take cover. Sharon immediately directed the staff to place all the children into four bathrooms, which wasn’t an easy task considering that 84 people had to be crammed into the smallest rooms in the building. The staff also made the heroic decision to shield the children with their own bodies and risk sacrificing their own well-being to protect the life of each child.
At 12:17 pm, the tornado hit the Crosspoint Daycare with winds of 130 mph. As the roof and walls ripped apart, Sharon recalled telling the kids to remain calm and keep their eyes closed until she said that it was okay to look. The sturdy brick building was nearly destroyed. The rooms and hallways were littered with debris, including the bricks that once stood as exterior walls. However, the interior bathrooms held strong, just as she had heard through many years of safety training.
All 72 children and 12 staff members walked out of the rubble that afternoon without even a single injury. Had they been in the hallways or classrooms, the story would have likely ended in tragedy, but on this day, Sharon Reid made the right decisions. She not only knew what to do, she took immediate and definitive action at the right time and saved everyone in the building on that tragic day.
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Correlation Coefficient from the Birmingham, AL NEXRAD indicating a robust tornado debris signature entering the western city limits of Selma, AL. The Crosspoint Daycare is notated by the white marker. This image was captured seconds before impact. |
One of the many evacuated classrooms in Crosspoint Daycare. |
