POWERGRAMS

SELMA WORKERS RESTORED POWER AMID OWN TROUBLES BY CARLA DAVIS With severe storms brewing across Alabama Jan. 12, Reid Buster was listening to weather reports on the radio as he drove back to work in Selma after attending a morning safety meeting in Montgomery. About that time, the forecaster warned that a tornado was tracking toward Selma Country Club, located in the heart of Buster's neighborhood. "I live across the street from the country club," said Reid, adding that his wife, Grace, and their little rat terrier were at home. "I called my wife and said, 'You need to take shelter now.'" Meanwhile, Buster was forced to pull to the side of the road, where he anxiously watched as the tornado churned above him on its way to his hometown. Reaching Selma, Buster said the first order of business was to check on his family. After making sure his two children were safe at their day care, Buster headed home. "I could see my house, but I couldn't get to it because there were trees everywhere," said Buster. "I parked on the No. 10 fairway of the golf course and walked to my house, and found my wife sitting there in shock." The damage was extensive. Along with a broken window, the force of the storm ripped all the electrical boxes from the walls. A huge red oak tree fell across the Busters' driveway, crushing his truck, car and golf cart. Another fallen tree destroyed his newly constructed "man cave" in the backyard. With no power, Buster and his wife packed the family's clothing and headed for his mom's house, where they remained for the next few days. "Once I got my family squared away, I went back to work that night and got my marching orders," said Buster, Alabama Power Selma distribution specialist who worked as a lineman during his first 11 years with the company. For the next five days, Buster worked 16-hour shifts in east Selma, where much of the electric grid had been destroyed. The twister 6 LINEMEN APPRECIATION Broad Street in downtown Selma was the scene of mass destruction.

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