Talk:2023 Selma tornado

2023 Selma tornado is currently an Earth sciences good article nominee. Nominated by E_F⁵ at 14:20, 5 February 2025 (UTC)

An editor has placed this article on hold to allow improvements to be made to satisfy the good article criteria. Recommendations have been left on the review page, and editors have seven days to address these issues. Improvements made in this period will influence the reviewer's decision whether or not to list the article as a good article.

Short description: 2023 tornado in Alabama, U.S.

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Did you know nomination

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... that Selma, Alabama, known for the 1965 Civil Rights marches that were attended by Martin Luther King Jr., was heavily damaged by an EF2 tornado just eight days before Martin Luther King Jr. Day?

Source: https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2024/01/15/selma-tornado-recovery

Reviewed: Template:Did you know nominations/Shirley A. Pomponi
Comment: Will do QPQ tomorrow, as it's getting relatively late over here. Feel free to reword hook. I wass initially going to go with "...that a historic tornado caused historic damage in a historic town?" but sadly couldn't find refs to back up the "historic tornado" part.

Created by EF5 (talk). Number of QPQs required: 1. Nominator has 19 past nominations.

E_F⁵ 00:44, 6 February 2025 (UTC).[reply]

Eight days? That's out of the window of a week and I don't see any connection beyond that in the source, beyond it happening "ahead of" the holiday. Can you find any other sources further connecting these events? Departure– (talk) 00:52, 6 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Departure–: Not sure what you mean; Selma was a prominent civil rights town that MLK frequented. But alas, sure: An MLK Day Reflection In The Aftermath Of Selma’s EF2 Tornado, Residents in Selma, Ala., commemorate MLK day while recovering from tornadoes and Tornadoes rattle historic civil rights community of Selma, Alabama. Take your pick. :) E_F⁵ 00:56, 6 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@EF5: Alright, #1 is from a Forbes contributor (generally unreliable) and #3 doesn't connect much, but I do think that you can get a good hook from #2:

...that a 2023 tornado in Selma, Alabama that struck days before Martin Luther King day was described as bringing together the historically racially divided community that had been at the heart of the Civil Rights movement?

This goes over the prose limit for DYK, but if you approve of a hook in the same manner as this, we can get this condensed. Departure– (talk) 01:12, 6 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Ooh, that sounds great. E_F⁵ 01:15, 6 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Departure–: Are you still reviewing? E_F⁵ 17:47, 13 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@EF5: Yes, but I'm waiting for you to finish your QPQ. Finish that up and I'll go on with my review. Departure– (talk) 17:51, 13 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Finished. E_F⁵ 17:52, 13 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@EF5: Other than that, the article is new enough, QPQ now done, long enough and seems neutral and well-sourced. The fact just needs to be put in the article. If you're using the one I suggested, it's the PBS source that I took it from. I can condense it down to:

... that Selma, a racially divided community and the origin of the Civil Rights era marches to Montgomery, was described as being brought together by a 2023 tornado that stuck days before MLK day?

Barring any objection, we can go with this. Departure– (talk) 18:11, 13 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Added. :) E_F⁵ 18:25, 13 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@EF5: Well, by adding it to the article, I didn't exactly mean copy and pasting the hook into there. It still needs attribution to who said it, and it should be cleaned up a bit in general. Departure– (talk) 18:29, 13 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I think I've fixed it, but please tell me if I'm wrong. E_F⁵ 18:32, 13 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Seems fine, but forgive me for not checking before, but there were three marches. It's marches, plural. Change it there and then we'll be good to go. Departure– (talk) 18:36, 13 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Fixed. E_F⁵ 18:37, 13 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Here's your checkmark:

good to go, on the hook ... that Selma, a racially divided community and the origin of the Civil Rights era marches to Montgomery, was described as being brought together by a 2023 tornado that stuck days before MLK day?

@EF5 and Departure–: In the article "brought together" is in quotes, but I don't see that phrase in the cited article. Also, how is the article describing the tornado as bringing the town together? Rjjⁱⁱⁱ (talk) 00:59, 5 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Can I get a second opinion on whether the original hook I suggested looks fine? The approved one is also creating issues at the GAN; it would have been much easier if the original was approved; the Forbes source is from a person with a PhD in meteorology. E_F⁵ 12:47, 11 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Also pinging @Departure–:. E_F⁵ 12:55, 11 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

(that's a whole lot of indents, but) Yeah, I do think the Forbes source is accessible. Per RSP, Editors show consensus for treating Forbes.com contributor articles as self-published sources, unless the article was written by a subject-matter expert, which we have now proven he is. I think the first and original hook is factual but a bit lacking in the DYKINT elements, whereas the second one is a bit long-winded and would need more elaboration in the article than we've gotten so far. Departure– (talk) 16:02, 11 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

GA review

This review is transcluded from Talk:2023 Selma tornado/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Nominator: EF5 (talk · contribs) 14:20, 5 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Reviewer: Ca (talk · contribs) 11:39, 5 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Hi, I will be reviewing this article as part of WP:GARC. I know little about meteorology, so please let me know if I am making mistakes. Ca ^{talk to me!} 11:39, 5 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Prose

As such, a large 5% risk for tornadoes was introduced for most of the lower Tennessee Valley, including portions of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, southern Tennessee, and northwestern South Carolina for at least a conditional threat of brief tornadoes. Does the "conditional threat of brief tornadoes" apply to all listed states or just SC? This sentence is confusing.

All states listed, that's what the "5% risk for tornadoes" is for. E_F⁵ 17:26, 5 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Perhaps it could be reworded to "As such, a large 5% risk for at least a conditional threat of brief tornadoes was introduced for most of the lower Tennessee Valley, including portions of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, southern Tennessee, and northwestern South Carolina." for concision? Ca ^{talk to me!} 01:09, 6 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Done. — E_F⁵ 01:15, 6 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Selma, the origin point of the Civil Rights era marches to Montgomery in the 1960s, was "brought together" by the tornado, which hit the town just days before Martin Luther King Jr. day.[9] This sentence feels awkward. Recommend in-text attribution of the quote. Or even better, I recommend elaborating on how the town was "brought together".

This is currently being discussed at the DYKN so I can't really do much about it right now. E_F⁵ 12:51, 11 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Generally, I feel like the repeated mentions of trees snapping is excessive. Every step of the tornado's way, the article describes the trees as being damaged. I would recommend them to be condensed into a single general sentence.

Done. E_F⁵ 12:51, 11 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

This is completely optional: It might be just me, I don't really see the supposedly visible paths in File:Selma, AL EF2 tornado track Landsat 8 Aerial.jpg. Perhaps you can use one of image annotation templates to mark where the path begins. {{image frame}}, for example.

Done I've changed the image to make the scarring clearer.

Spotchecks

A skim through the references section doesn't reveal any red flags. There is a Forbes Contributor source, but the author is a reputable figure with a Wikipedia article (J. Marshall Shepherd).
On January 11, the Storm Prediction Center outlined a level 1/Marginal risk across the mid-South valid for the overnight and early morning hours. Although the environment was initially capped, conditions were expected to become more conducive for severe weather given the approach of a mid-level trough and a gradually moistening airmass Verified
By October 2023, debris was removed from all residential properties within the city limits of Selma. Verified
James Perkins Jr., who was the mayor of Selma at the time of the tornado,[49] stated that power in the city was "shot". Verified
A mandatory curfew was enacted in Selma after the tornado. Verified
the tornado damaged several mobile homes and pushed them off their foundations. A frame home sustained minor damage in this area. Damage along this initial path segment was rated EF1. The tornado retained EF1 intensity as it moved across SR 22 north of Beloit ✗ Fail I believe an incorrect source was cited.

Done, replaced. E_F⁵ 14:37, 19 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Approximately one-third of Selma sustained heavy damage from the tornado, ✗ Fail The source does not mention "one-thirds".

Done, replaced. E_F⁵ 14:37, 19 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

and emergency management agencies determined that the tornado damaged or destroyed a total of 17,000 structures, including 470 businesses. ✗ Fail The article only says "FEMA and Selma officials estimated that the tornado damaged 3,200 structures".

Done, reworded. E_F⁵ 14:37, 19 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Then-President Joe Biden authorized federal funds to be directed at recovery efforts in Selma less than a month after the event. Verified
she had also made a major disaster declaration immediately following the event. Partially Verified, the article quotes Rep. Sewell saying "“I am beyond thankful to President Biden for this GREAT NEWS! From the beginning, President Biden has worked swiftly to respond to our calls by expediting the major disaster declaration for the State of Alabama,”", but it does not mention the date the declaration was made. Does "expediting the major disaster declaration" mean that the declaration was already made and Biden is simply expediting its enforcement, or that the declaration needs to be approved by him?

I believe it's the date the deceleration was made. 14:37, 19 March 2025 (UTC)

I am not sure on how I use the Damageviewer website, but I will assume the claims are true.
As it crossed SR 14, an outbuilding was completely destroyed and a metal free-standing pole was bent to the ground, with damage in this area being rated EF2. After undergoing some re-intensification, the tornado then impacted a small residential area along Parkway Drive. Mostly Verified, but the two sources do not say anything about a pole of any kind.

Done, added source. E_F⁵ 14:47, 19 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

"In all, the tornado caused an estimated total of damages that totaled in excess of $9 million (2023 USD)." is verified in the sense that that is the amount of money that FEMA granted, but I think it is shaky to say that that is the actual monetary damage caused. Is FEMA grants give full compensation to those affected? (also the claim is only found in lead, so I recommend adding it in the body)
A makeshift American Red Cross shelter was also set up inside of the Selma High School to provide residents with food and water. Verified
Roads in Selma were shut down due to concerns over downed power lines and trees falling on roads. Verified
...and continued for over a year after the tornado Verified

Other

Article is stable Y
authorship verified Y
a wide variety of sources cited Y
No major sources missing, at least from my search Y
Earwig returns clean Y

@Ca: I believe I've addressed everything. :) E_F⁵ 15:50, 12 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, I will be performing few more spotchecks and likely passing the article tonight. Ca ^{talk to me!} 23:46, 12 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry for the delay; the failed spotchecks are a bit concerning, so I will be performing further spotchecks to ensure verifiability. Ca ^{talk to me!} 13:20, 14 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]