jim cantore, nbc news, tuscaloosa, alabama. >> i'm tom in tuscaloosa, alabama. the massive tornado a mile wide tore through here as a busy time, as people came home from work and students from school. >> this was monster. >> tuscaloosa is home to the university of alabama. 95,000 people live here. 30,000 at the university alone. >> words can't even describe the feeling you go through when you open the door. and just everything is just a disaster. >> reporter: 36 are confirmed dead. among them, three students from the college. all friends of jesse strickland. >> this is my friend scott. >> their house ripped right off its slab. today, she sifted through the rubble, finding her friend scott's shirt. >> there's nothing you can say, nothing that's going to fix this or make it better or bring them back. >> reporter: across the street, 22-year-old angela smith says she's lucky she can retrieve what's left of her home. she hid in the closet with her dog when the tornado hit. >> were you praying and what were you praying for? >> i was praying. i said, dear lord, please

in alabama. emergency declaration declared by president obama in alabama. here is what the government said from alabama. student housing. >> we will be there today and over north alabama today to assist and help in any way that we can. >> there over to moderate national grotroops with the death toll expected to climb. >> this power has been knocked out to three different nuclear reactors at this plant and alabama. the act of generators are on right now. the backup generators are on now, no chance of radiation to escape. there should calling this a very unusual event. tracking our area of weather? >> a lot of blue sky. the wind is certainly going to be a factor in today's forecast. this will be gusty this afternoon. a big warm up as we go towards this week believe it or not temperatures are going to get nearly 90 your current temperatures right now. in the 50s across the board. hayward, mountain view. the key one degrees in downtown san francisco. the futurecast 51 degrees in downtown san francisc

but alabama was hit hardest. around 60 people have been killed and authorities are searching for survivors. president obama has authorized the federal government to coordinate relief efforts. >> i've lived in alabama all my life. i've never seen such damage. >> reporter: a police officer caught this tornado moving through. it flipped trucks, ripped through buildings, and left several blocks decimated. here in this birmingham suburb, the storm ripped off the front of this church and collapsed the roof. it sent cinder blocks and glass flying all over the property. after the tornado hit, rescue crews took the injured to the hospital. but traveling is difficult. many streets are covered in debris. >> thank god. he spared our lives. this whole neighborhood is just erupted. >> reporter: birmingham's mayor toured the damage. then joined neighbors in prayer. >> we're here to praise you, lord. >> reporter: the south has been battered by storms this spring, and the people here hope the worst is over. and the death toll her

es una ciudad de 80.000 habitantes y es la sede de la universidad de alabama. el tornado paso por al quise de un corredor enorme y ha dejado la evidencia. hay una cÁmara de televisiÓn que pudo captar esas imÁgenes en el momento preciso. >> ese gigantesco tornado de mÁs de una milla de ancho captado causaron la muerte de centenares de residentes. >> la cantidad de daÑos es peor que una pesadilla dijo el alcalde esta pequeÑa ciudad agregando que nunca en su vida habÍa visto algo tan destructivo y trÁgico, como lo que habÍa pasado. los socorristas no pierden las esperanzas de encontrar sobrevivientes pero hay decenas de muertos y las cifras aumentan con el paso de las horas. >> supe que estaba en aprietos cuando vi el edificio colapsar. le gritaba por telÉfono a su esposa que le venÍa alternado encima mientras a su camiÓn rodaba como si fuera un juguete. >> el presidente obama y el gobernador de alabama declararon que es una zona desastre. >> vamos a enviar a 1400 efectivos a las zonas afectadas dijo el gobernador de alabama. mÁs de un millÓn de pers

rushes to declare a state of emergency in alabama. it is thursday, april 28th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." >>> good morning. i'm peggy bunker. >> and i'm rob nelson. we are covering breaking news from the south this morning after that giant storm system sent a tornado one-mile wide through tuscaloosa, alabama. emergency managers predict they will find mind-boggling damage come daybreak. >> and we are just seeing fresh pictures this morning of the devastation left behind after twi twisters tore through the south. at least 77 people have been killed. >> and by far, the hardest hit, city of tuscaloosa, home to the university of alabama. mike marusarz is joining us now this morning with the latest details. hi, mike. >> reporter: peggy and rob, good morning. several tornados rolled across the south last night. a massive tornado appears to have directly hit tuscaloosa, alabama. cameras captured the twister grow in size as it approached birmingham. in tuscaloosa, the town sustained major damage. people were trapped

dean reynolds in birmingham, alabama. and, dean, it's unusual, isn't it, for big tornadoes to hit such highly populated areas? >> reporter: that's exactly right, katie. we got used to these things touching down in rural areas-- ranches or farmsteads in the midwest-- but this one, this series of storms was different. it seemed to sort of hug all the inner states between mississippi and georgia, and hitting all those populated areas in between. and by doing that, it has two results. one is that the damage is much more significant, and, secondly, that the recovery will be that much longer. katie? >> couric: and, speaking of that dean, will the search for survivors continue through the night? >> reporter: that's what we've been told, katie, by the mayor. they're hoping to pull people out of the rubble. they are hoping that the death toll does not expand. katie? >> couric: and what are the people in the neighborhood you're in right now going to do now? >> reporter: well, they're going to go to some shelters set up both by the

alabama was the hardest hit area more than 70 percent of the deaths were in alabama. that's where the president went to see the devastation for himself. president barack obama took a walk, he wanted to see things firsthand saying he has never seen anything like this. he stopped to meet with people who've lost everything and promised to fast track and the help from the federal government. we have a report from alabama. >>reporter: president barack obama are arrive in alabama to serve the region. he signed an emergency declaration order to assure the people of the southeast that the federal government is ready to help in any way possible. >> i have never seen devastation like this. it is heartbreaking, we were just talking to some residents here who were lucky enough to escape alive but have lost everything. they mentioned that there neighbors had lost two of their grandchildren in the process. what you're seeing here is the consequence of just a few minutes of this extraordinarily powerful storm sweeps through this community. >> it's devastating, i don't know how to do

especially in alabama. in a matter of hours these deadly tornadoes were some of the worst that we have seen in decades. they took mothers and fathers. sons and daughters. friends and the neighbors. even, entire committees. others were injured and some are still missing. there is damage to homes and businesses and it is nothing short of catastrophic. we cannot control when the board where a terrible storm comes from but we can't control how we respond to appear at want every american debt is affected by this disaster to know that the government will do everything we can to help you recover. we will stand with you as you rebuild. >>mark: presence in racal, signed a declaration to help residents clean up. after he surveys the damage he is headed to florida to watch the final launch of space shuttle endeavor lift off at 12:47 p.m. our time. the two week-long mission is the end of the road for endeavor. along with the president the shuttle commander's wife, market kelly's wife, arizona congressman giffords. she

>>> back now from tuscaloosa, alabama. some more of the staggering numbers we have been telling you about. in the month of april, a record 453 tornadoes have been confirmed. this not counting wednesday's line of massive storms. and when they tally those up, that will be larger, and remember, may is usually worse than april. our friend, weather channel meteorologist jim cantore, who has been here covering this, has been kind enough to join us. you and i were talking earlier. is it fair to say, at the center of this storm, at the center of hurricanes like katrina, it's the most energy mother nature can produce on the planet? >> i think it is. when you look at the biggest tornadoes out there, the ef-4s and ef-5s, winds upwards of 200 miles an hour, which we feel this is, we're talking rare kinds of numbers. that makes up .4% of all the tornadoes. we have about 1,300 a year. >> you get stopped everywhere you go every day on the subject of weather, and i sometimes do, and wherever you go, whenever you hear people talking, you k

this one is huge, it is closing in on alabama area home of the university of alabama. at least two students were killed. this was just the beginning. part of the nation's deadliest tornado outbreak in almost four decades. this was the scene, people getting their first good look at damage. this is what was left a whole neighborhoods are gone. homes where they stood piles of garbage. the death toll keeps climbing. at last count at least 280 people killed across the south. but within 2/3 in alabama. another alabama and town hard hit, lookit this, at least in this one spot people were killed. president obama will be in alabama friday. he will view the damage, visit with some of the families. roughly 1 million homes, businesses without power. this is torture, homes just obliterated -- people only had a few minutes' warning to try to take shelter. it hit six states, alabama, georgia, buckers sought tennessee. -- tennessee. this is video in mississippi, another huge tornado, as they keep going down the road you see it begins to move very quickly periling across the road. that

across the south, there are gas lines in decatur, alabama. customers waiting up to an hour to fill up. in ringgold, georgia, a supermarket was leveled. and one of those powerful tornadoes ravaged apison, tennessee, survivors digging through the rubble. back in concord, another twister ruined this sheriff deputy's dream house. >> this used to be the living room. over there used to be the kitchen. dining room here. >> reporter: this is 5620 smith road in concord, alabama, just two days ago. david newton's house. this is it today. he escaped with his life, a cut face, some bruises. he and his wife clung to each other as their house blew away. >> trying to hold onto my wife. i didn't want to lose contact with her and all that. she held on pretty good. >> reporter: 180 miles away in hackleburg, alabama, a town of 1,500, was wiped off the math. pastor clint noles lost his church. >> this was the sanctuary. >> reporter: and the high school kids lost their last month of classes. >> hackleburg is not hackleburg no more. it's just not on the map. >> re

more than 190 in alabama alone. and, meteorologists say they have not seen this kind of destruction in 40 years. here are some of the thundering sights and sounds captured by the people on the ground. >> oh, my gosh. holy crap, guys. this thing is huge. >> look at this thing. goodness, gracious. mind boggling. be in a safe place now, please. please do not take any chances with this. >> right now, there are sirens going on. >> oh, my god. >> that's over there. >> it's surreal. look at that. are you kidding me? >> this is a very serious situation. that is something that you pray that you never, ever, ever see. this will be a day that will go down in state history. all you can do is pray for those people. >> and our team is out across that disaster zone tonight. we turn first to abc's jim avila, who is in concord, alabama, outside birmingham. jim? >> reporter: diane, this is no backdrop. all around me, as far as you can see, in every direction you can see, there is evidence of an incredibly violent weather event. entir

alabama 128 deaths. president barack obama has our east declared a state of emergency in alabama. tornadoes leaving damage in all of the states. bornholms in businesses, on the right to seek destruction in birmingham. witnesses say tornadoes touched down in birmingham as well. they think the twister was probably 1 mi. wide. to the south more video coming in from atlanta, a people have been killed, you can see the thunder and lightning--eight people have been killed--. national guard is being deployed. georgia declared a state of emergency as well. that will be the response as they tried to clean up the damage. >> justine: pitchers coming and most of them are from alabama. we assume this woman is standing outside of our home looking at the damage. they will have the hard task of going through the debris and wreckage seeing if there's anything left. there's also this one of the funnel cloud, look at how mass of that is. these were down for almost two hours as they ripped through parts of the south. the have this one people standing outside of the damaged car. power lines are down, p

a team of reporters in alabama for us this morning. let's begin with cbs news correspondent mark strassmann in tuscaloosa, alabama. very hard-hit area there. mark, good morning. what is the latest? >> good morning, chris. the latest, you see behind me. this is the edge of the destruction here in tuscaloosa. and now that it is first light, a search and rescue sweep in earnest will begin, block by block, house by house. and so many people here say the same thing. they looked at the sky yesterday, and this is what they saw. this black, massive mass coming at them. ominous, twisting, a mile wide. it was a killer tornado, just bearing down on tuscaloosa. and so many other communities, as well. it was part of a savage storm system that moved across the south from mississippi to georgia, texas to virginia, people scrambled for whatever cover they could, even inside a bathtub. today people in so many communities have their own horror stories. here in tuscaloosa, the home of the university of alabama, the twister ripped through neighborhoods, f

one of the giant twisters rampaged through tuscaloosa, alabama. just listen to the power. looks like a scene from a movie there. we'll be hearing from another photographer who got up close and personal with this tornado, in just a moment. >> unbelievable. >>> well, the full scope of this tragedy will not be known until well after day break. we begin our coverage, now, with emily schmidt. >> that is something that you pray that you never, ever, ever see. >> reporter: all night, across the south, people looked up, looked out for tornadoes. this one, in tuscaloosa. >> goodness, look at that. >> that is huge. >> repved. s it arrived. and after it left. >> it looks like we got hit by, you know, 5,000-pound bomb here. >> reporter: tuscaloosa's mayor says the city's infrastructure is decimated. at least a dozen killed, 100 injured. here, a young girl survived. there are more than 140 tornado reports, from mississippi to maryland. >> that was the front of the house. >> reporter: the worst damage so far is in alabama, where at least 60 people died. and president obama has declared

>>jacqueline: some spectacular pictures coming at of alabama. also in tennessee, let's take a look at the radar picture and a live picture coming out of alabama. the radar is lit up at this hour, heavy rain and thunderstorms producing tornados. on this picture you could see debris being lofted, that means tornados are tearing through the area. this is northern alabama also central tennessee, were seeing wicked weather. earlier today the national weather service issued a dangerous situation tornado watch which means they're expecting several strong tornados and that's their fine at this hour. this is a live picture out of alabama. we've seen several tornadoes touched down. we will bring you the latest on this development. stay with us we'll be back after this. [ wheezing breaths ] [ woman ] the first time i smoked, i was 13. i was in a hurry to grow up and wanted to look cool. big tobacco knew it, and they preyed on me. i'm here to tell you that big tobacco hasn't changed. they continue to profit... by selling kids the same lies... to get them to

russ. >> mitchell: don teague in washington county, alabama, thank you very much. here's what else is happening tonight. there is yet another case of sleeping on the job by an air traffic controller to tell you about. this one happened today in miami. it is the sixth sleeping incident disclosed by the f.a.a. since mid-february, and this afternoon the federal government took action. chief white house correspondent chip reid has more. >> reporter: the latest instance of an air traffic controller caught sleeping on the job happened early this morning in miami at a facility that handles high-altitude traffic. according to the federal aviation administration, the controller did not miss any calls from aircraft and there was no operational impact. but in less than two months, controllers have now been found sleeping in six cities-- seattle, reno, nevada, lubbock, texas, knockville, tennessee, washington, d.c., and now miami. in the reno incident earlier this week, the controller slept through a medical emergency. >> we've got a pretty sick patient and we may have to land

reporting live in alabama, john henry, abc news. >> this is subdivision in alabama where john is before the tornado. this is the same area afterwards. at least 2 90 people died in the tornadoes. 2 04 of them in alabama and when you see pictures like this you can understand why. there has been so much death. >>> in georgia. one couple was in the car when the tornado hit. the car spun around and lifted up into the air 15 seconds inside the twister. >> started tearing the doors off. car. >> my husband put his arm through the steering wheel and grabbed hold of me and i grabbed hold of the steering wheel and we just kind of held on to each other. >> things were flying around. it broke all of our windows out. >>reporter: can you imagine? the couple escaped through their shattered sun roof. they are shaken of course. but as you see, they are okay. thank goodness. >> the tornado destruction is causing a shortage of gasoline. in many parts there is no electricity. with no power. gas stations can not run. now those that is have generators have run out of gas. some people are siphoning gasoline fr

back to you. >> jim cantore in alabama. let's go north now. the weather channel's jeff morrow is in raleigh, as we noted, one of several cities in central north carolina struck by tornadoes today. jeff, what's the latest from there? >> reporter: lester, it's being called the worst severe weather outbreak around the raleigh area since 1988. that goes back a long way and a lot of severe weather seasons. today was the third day in a row that severe thunderstorms have raked across the south. today was north carolina's turn. as a big tornado developed to the southwest of raleigh, it skipped along and moved to the northeast and moved right over the downtown area, which is where i'm at. you can see some of the damage here behind me, a lot of tree damage across the city, down on cars, blocking roadways. nearby shaw university also sustaining some major damage, parts of roofs coming off, some windows shattered. it's just a real mess here, a lot of emergency vehicles moving about. but from what we understand so far, there hasn't been any fatalities. now

i'm going to show you to videos in that hard hit area of alabama. here it the tornado pick up items like these cars, the foot upside-down, lots of houses destroyed. the complete front of the house just ripped off. you could see inside. much like a doll house. let's take a look at the next video, it's very surreal, hundreds of people just walking around looking dazed. this is an tuscaloosa, there was a mcdonald's, an oil change shop but as you can see all of it is torn apart. trees stripped of their leaves and branches. coming up at 5:00 we will look at more video showing the devastation. >>catherine: today oakland's mayor released her plan to deal with the city's budget shortfall. it is not as straightforward as it has been. jonathan blum explains. >>jonathan: oakland mayor released not one but three city budgets because she's hoping the financial situation will improve by the end of the summer. with a 58 million-dollar hole to attach the three scenarios go from good to bad to worse. the first scenario, includes a property tax passed by voters after

let's begin with some pictures, starting in alabama. the person who posted this pictures said it was taken in a town near birmingham. you can see it destroyed everything. trees stripped, in the debris everywhere. you can see the house, collapse, trees on the car. the person who posted says it was taken up their grandparents' house. thankfully everyone made it out safe and time. >> pam: it has been four days since a gunman opened fire killing two people, wounding four. sweet jimmy's is still closed for business. there's a lock on the front gate. oakland police are still trying to identify the suspects connected to the shooting. 22 year-old adam williams was one of the victims. williams was recently hired at a school for an after- school program. today the principal their shared promotions about losing an i'm very emotional the 22 arab adam well as worked prior to being shot to death. she told me she has been holding back promotions following the tragedy. now, she's ready to talk about losing atom. >> am very angry, very angry that broom

i think that what you see in tuscaloosa, birmingham, dekalb county, alabama, and marion county, alabama, it's just indicative of the damage that we have in probably two-thirds of the state of alabama. >> a long way to go. art faulkner, the director of alabama emergency management agency. we thank you so much for joining us. good luck to you, sir. >> thank you, russ. >> you take care. it is about ten after the hour. >> nasa engineers this morning are working on the space shuttle "endeavour" trying to fix a heater problem that delayed its launch. and congresswoman gabrielle giffords is still hoping to watch her husband mark kelly's launch as commander of the shuttle. cbs news correspondent don teague is at the kennedy space center with the latest. hey, don, good morning. >> good morning, rebecca. it was a disappointing day here at the kennedy space center for a crowd that was expected to exceed half a million people, for a highly anticipated launch. a part because gabrielle giffords was here to see it. it was supposed to be a dramatic turn in the recovery of gabrielle giffords, and an imp

alabama especially hard hit. more than 160 people died there. chris clackum has more. >> reporter: this shows the power of the tornado that ravaged six states but it's the view from the air which captures the utter devastation. huge swaths of destruction cut through towns like birmingham and tuscaloosa, alabama, where buildings and homes once stood, there's now only rubble. debris litters the landscape for miles. >> we have utter destruction. we have neighborhoods that have basically been removed from the map. >> reporter: the massive outbreak was predicted, but when the twisters hit, there was little time to take cover. >> it was three-quarters of a mile wide. there was -- before it hit, there was branches falling out of the sky before we even knew the tornado was coming. >> reporter: many had only moments to seek shelter. >> when we came out, it looked like a bomb had been dropped on our store. >> we're just lucky to be alive. i'm so thankful for that. >> reporter: hundreds were not as fortunate. the death toll is now around 270 and climbing.

el gobernador de alabama. y el estado más dañado por este tornado. por esta serie de tornados habló de 1700 personas heridas. y más de 300 entre los estados que se registró este fenómeno meteorológico. y bueno, también los damnificados falta de electricidad, llegan a más de un millón solo en el estado de alabama. te quiero mostrar nada más, una tarea de kbus quebúsqueda de re víctimas. una marca naranja que se encuentra en una de las tantas calles que se han registrado. son unos cuantos signos del departamento. y ninguna casa alrededor de 30 con esta información te dejamos carmen. y estaremos de vuelta el lunes. >>> gracias enrique acevedo que está en la zona del desastre en alabama el peor desastre en estados unidos desde el huracán katrina. >>> haremos una pausa y al regresar qué puso en riesgo la salida del transbordador espacial endeavour inmigrantes miden una reforma mi habitación... lucia: ¡déjame ayudarte! lili: ¡quiero sentirme especial! lucia: ¡te pasas hermanita! lili: más en un castillo elegante... ¿ahora, eres la pri

guys. >> meteorologist rick wright live in tuscaloosa alabama. as always thank you very much for that report. >>> a quake hit panama this morning. so far there are no reports of damage or injuries. people near by say things were falling off walls and buildings. >>> nasa will try again monday for the launch of endeavour. some 700,000 people had turned out hoping to see that launch and many left disappointed. >>> president oe baa ma and his family were also there, they got a tour of the kennedy space center and met with the endeavour crew. president oe what also had a private visit mark kelly and his wife wounded congresswoman giffords. >>> some airport pat downs could become illegal in texas. a bill currently moving through the texas legislature would make it illegal for a security officer to intentionally touch someone's private area. s. security officers could only be able to screen someone if they believed someone was caring something illegal. airport pat downs are robbing people of their dignity say opposers. but security officials say it's ne

alabama bore the brunt of it. dozens confirmed dead. at least 15 killed in tuscaloosa alone when this mile wide tornado touched down. >> my heart was racing because you see things like that in movies and everything but you never see anything like that you know in real life. >> reporter: in birmingham the mayor described the situation as total devastation. a sentiment echoed around the state. president obama signed a disaster order paving the way for alabama to receive federal manpower and money for the clean up. as darkness fell across the border in georgia, residents were not taking any chances. >> we heard the sirens going off and we were watching tv said seek shelter so we came up here to find the closest strong building. >> reporter: they were right to run. buildings and homes destroyed and number of casualties is climbing. in mississippi and tennessee thursday will be a day to assess the damage and begin the recovery. across the region despite the destruction and tremendous tragedy, there is hope. >> really coverer will be seen in

in bermingham, alabama, back to you. a bay area band is ready to play at a hotel where they never saw their drummer. a year as passed and they think green is not missing but a victim of foul play. the police say they have no evidence supporting that theory. >> fairfield police say they are combing through clues in the murder of 25-year-old lee. lee was last seen april 25th at a barnes and noble's store. investigators say they have gone through more than 100 pieces of evidence. there is still no suspect but the police say no one has been ruled out. >>> microsoft says the latest quarterly earnings exceeded even as sales of their windows operating system failed. they earned $5.2 billion between january and march. windows division are down from the same period last year. microsoft is facing threats from the ipad and other computer tablets that arrive on rival operating systems. >>> stocks reach new highs despite numbers for economic growth of the first quarter of the year. the federal reserve board indicated it has no plans

alabama felt the worst of it. >> justin. justin. >> the sisters of 15-year-old justin thomas were desperate to find him today. no one has seen him since the storm. rescuers fear there are no more survivors. the mayor of this town said cadaver dogs used tomorrow and searchers go through wreckage. >> i have never sean devastation like this in alabama. >>reporter: devastation in alabama is just part of the story. the nation has not been hit by a.p. tornado in almost 40 years from smithville, mississippi where neighborhoods were flattened and grocery stores wiped out. to rainsville, alabama where the wind tossed around a school bus and left a bank a heap of bric bricks. and in polk, georgia entire community leveled n.could be cord, alabama beings karen says it was 15 minutes of raw terror. her brother-in-law died in this home. she survived by crouching in her bath tub. >> i was holding on right here covered my head up. >>reporter: people knew they were coming up to 24 minutes ahead of time but the storms were just too wide and t

late tonight president obama declared an emergency in alabama allowing for federal assistance. jacqueline bennett is here now. >> let's look at the radar. this has been historic outbreak of tornadic thunderstorms. the threat is still going. severe thunderstorm through western georgia, the threat is still in alabama as well. let's zoom in. we are seeing a lot of instability for the night time. normally these storms die down at night because it cools. here, looking at western georgia, south of atlanta, temperatures near 80 degrees. we are still seeing the signature of rotation. which means tornadoes are still possible in this area and night time tornadoes can be most dangerous. wider view. the red rock you see indicating a tornado watch. there are also tornado warnings in this area. the threat continue through the overnight area and metro atlanta is also effected. >>> mother is dead tonight. found stabbed in her home. it happened here at the home on cherry street. police say they responded to a report of someone beating someone up. it was just at 11:30 this morning. officers foun

the hardest hit state, alabama, 10:00 p.m. curfew for safety reasons. 404 people were killed in that state alone. president obama till tour tomorrow. kron 4's jonathan bloom now with the latest. >> reporter: a description of what this line of storms has done. it started in texas and made its way towards the eastern seaboard. let's look. friday, that's when the line of storms that started brewing in texas and started making its way saturday, sunday, monday into the southern states that seen the most destruction and staying there for a couple days till today that storm made it through virginia, sparing north carolina, which had been hit by other tornadoes. alabama, i want to go in for a closer look, that's where the most horrendous damage occurred. you can see the path that some of the tornadoes took. it is unusual. because tornadoes will go for a few miles and stop, they will break up but some of the storms traveled for 100 miles or more. the worst brought tornadoes through tuscaloosa. this traveled for 133 miles before it brok

alabama and hit over and over again. at one point to date there were 25 separate tornado warnings for different towns. the storms have damaged homes, shared of treetops, toppled rv. huge trees have been up loaded landing on homes. tangling power lines on the way down. parts of arkansas are in shambles. this is what's left of one neighborhood in little rock. if the roof of a local high school was torn from the auditorium and high school. a student who lives nearby says this is painful. >> it makes you want to cry, it hurts to see it. the little >>catherine: rock air force bases a mess. these cars were actually thrown across the parking lot. storms blew through northern georgia today, this is some of the damage left behind at a college enroll in georgia. trees are uprooted below campus, one split apart roof. and kentucky, a lot of rebuilding will have to be done before the county fair opens in july. in the louisville area people are getting around boats. flood waters have taken over blocking roads in invading homes. in cen

mississippi, tennessee, georgia and alabama. alabama is enduring the worst of it. 61 deaths there alone. tonight president obama has declared a federal disaster in that state. >> that is something you pray you never, ever, ever see. >> this monster tornado took aim at tuscaloosa, alabama swelling to at least a mile wide. it passed over the university of alabama somehow doing no damage to the campus. elsewhere cameras captured it feeding on buildings below. >> goodness, look at that. >> that is huge. >> as it roared into birmingham, debris rained down on towns 100 miles away. by the time the twister lifted, people were trapped, homes destroyed. rescuers carried this child from a collapsed home in tuscaloosa. the governor says people there should be ready for more destruction. >> there are very few times in my lifetime, and in your lifetime that you can remember an outbreak of tornados, long trek of tornados like we are having at this present time. >> this surveillance camera spotted a storm slamming covington, mississippi. at the

steve osunsami is in tuscaloosa, alabama. and they're saying this is the most terrible thing to ever happen to that town. >> reporter: good morning, george. first responders who were here were so busy pulling the living from all of this debris, they were forced to ignore the dead. that's how bad this is. you can hear the sound of smoke detectors in the distance. but no one's here. there's the smell of death. across town, 16 people were killed. and most of them were killed in this neighborhood. so many families, so many people, whose lives were ruined. they were massive, truly massive tornadoes, nearly a mile wide, churning through homes. taking more than a dozen lives in tuscaloosa. another five dead here. six dead there. as the sirens sounded all across the state of alabama and parts of georgia. >> sounded like a bomb went off in the neighborhood. >> reporter: from the sky, it certainly looked like a bomb. >> it's devastating. just i'm in shock. >> reporter: this was the view from surveillance video in covington, mississippi

y se anunciÓ que llegarÁ a alabama maÑana. por cierto, lo peor es que el servicio meteorolÓgico ha establecido que estas tormentas pueden seguir afectando nuestros prÓximos dÍas a 21 estados. 21 estados que estÁn al norte de estados unidos sobre todo contorno, granizo e inundaciones. donde la mayor advertencia de riesgo es en alabama, mississippi y georgia. >> la guardia nacional va a movilizar 2000 hombres para tratar de ayudar con las labores de rescate. mientras tanto vamos otras informaciones. al borde de la muerte estuvieron dos personas tras un choque en colombia. el conductor logrÓ salir de la carrocerÍa pero su acompaÑante fue asistido por los sombreros. dentro del vehÍculo encontraron a alcohol y drogas lo que puede haber sido un factor decisivo. >> con todo el peso de la ley serÁn castigados los miembros de una familia que perpetraron crueles maltratos contra una joven de 15 aÑos en colombia. se supo que la madre, alfa de rastro y los hermanos de las victimas la torturaron, golpearon y manipularon psicolÓg

president obama visited hard-hit tuscaloosa, alabama. prince william and kate middleton were wed at westminster abbey in london, as more than a million people cheered outside. and thousands of protesters in syria defied a government crackdown. but activists reported security forces shot and killed at least 62 people. and to hari sreenivasan for what's on the newshour online. hari. >> sreenivasan: we'll have more from shields and brooks on the "rundown" blog. it's called "the doubleheader," where we talk politics and sports. and with the postponement of the shuttle launch, we are also delaying our "you talk to 'endeavour'" live interview with mark kelly and his crew. check the "rundown" blog next week for a new date and time, and keep submitting your questions on our youtube page. plus on "art beat," jeff continues a conversation with author and essayist roger rosenblatt about the craft of writing. all that and more is on our web site, newshour.pbs.org. margaret. >> warner: and that's the newshour for tonight. on monday, we'll look at the

captioning the images in alabama. it was the hardest hit a low area. -- capturing. you can see that cloud billowing, blowing we erred joint now by reporter in arizona. >> reporter: this is just devastating. this is one of the hardest hit areas. you can see some of the houses behind me there completely demolished. a state of emergency has been declared. president obama called the loss of life surrounding the deadly ebola outbreak heartbreaking. --deadly outbreak. >> i want them to know the federal government will do everything we can help to recover. >> reporter: this is what several parts of the region look like. >> its collapse. it caved in. >> reporter: they are scattering debris for belongings and load ones. >> their nothing but the foundations. we are searching for additional victims. hopefully it will be rescued. >> reporter: based on the number of dead alabama was the hardest hit. it turned into a mix shift selvage large. --yard. >> seen the damage done by storms like katrina, ivan, dennis. it picked up cars, moved around, it looked similar to that. the damage

this up evening, the sky was literally falling over alabama. in tuscaloosa, a tornado that looked a mile wide. >> it looks like we got hit by a 5,000-pound bomb here. >> reporter: new pictures tonight, where a tornado hit a hospital and a courthouse in alabama. this was from a live camera this afternoon. just after 6:00 a.m., the tornado was bearing down on families in alabama. >> i felt the bed shaking, and that's when i jumped up. >> nothing left. >> reporter: at wendy's home, it's all gone. >> just kind of, like, makes you stop and you think, you know, wow. we're here one minute and we can be gone the next. >> reporter: george says it happened so fast, they didn't have time to run for cover. is this your wall on the floor here? >> yeah. that was the front of the house. that was the front of the house. >> reporter: one woman down the road was killed. his family was lucky they got out alive. >> pieces of our house scattered all over two, three counties, i think. but like i said, we're alive. we survived it. >> it's been about every day, every

for cullman, alabama, it was so unfair. first, they were hit with incredibly high winds that left the town in shambles. then, came the monster. one forecasters called it the hand of god, that finished what the winds started. 2 people were killed, 200 injured. the 911 dispatch center was crushed. >> i was on a 911 call when the building got hit. >> reporter: margaret and charlie thompson lost their home. but they had their lives. >> my husband was on one side. but i was on the other. >> you can't imagine the noise. you can't imagine the fright. if i was in that chair, i wouldn't be here talking to you guys. >> reporter: the furniture store was destroyed. >> this was asphalt that just slammed into the wall. >> reporter: jessica's grandparents owned it. she was heartbroken. >> it's something -- it will never be the same. >> reporter: brandy barker says she'll rebuild. >> it's hard. it's hard. can't work. can't do anything. >> reporter: this is a town of churches, more than 250. >> we're just kind of picking through, salvaging

the hardest hit was alabama. this video shot by the university of alabama. this wedge tornado was in the northern part of the state where emergency management officials say at least six people died. residents watched a pair of funnel clouds bearing down on the town's center. a courthouse and church were damaged. residents scamable for safety. >> got in there just in time. >> reporter: the line of storms toppled large trees, crushed vehicles and homes in birmingham. tens of thousands of people are without power. this has been a serious and deadly event that's affected our state. >> reporter: the storms left a trail of destruction across the city. flooding is a major concern. an elderly man was swept away and killed. emergency crews used boats to rescue family members in the line of storm. it's pressing east moving through the carolinas and virginia. >> now, we continue to follow developments on the storm. we have live reports for you. ebay says first quarter profits are up 20% as more users turn to the auction site and papal. let's turn to nicole. >> good mor

hardest hit, alabama. this tornado in tuscaloosa shot by the university of alabama. and this ominous wedge tornado was recorded in the northern town of arab. in cullman residents watched a pair of funnel clouds bear down on the town center. the courthouse and a church were damaged and residents scrambled for safety. >> a small closet. didn't have any windows in it and got in there just in time. >> reporter: the line of storms toppled large trees and crushed vehicles and homes in birmingham. tens of thousands are without power. the storms also left a trail of destruction across mississippi, where flooding is also a major problem. in northern mississippi, an elderly man was swept away and killed by flash flooding. and emergency crews used boats to rescue families trapped in their homes. kurt gregory, nbc news. >>> we have much more on the storms. let's go straight to nbc meteorologist bill karins. good morning. it's head r. hard to get your head around it when you see the video. >> in our lifetime this is the worst tornado outbreak of all time. the deaths only second t

i mean, you went to american baptist if you couldn't get in to tennessee state or alabama a&m. i mean, it was-- i mean, you would say, "well, on s.a.t.s, we can't take this young man." it's a reminder of untapped potential if we don't reach out. i mean, how many people have these abilities but have never had a chance to play the full-- expend the full possibilities of their lives? john lewis is, to me, just one of the heroes. john lewis, i think, is the single best american citizen i've ever known. i mean, he is so steadfast. here we are, 40 years later, and he's still doing ten times more things than he should. he's a congressman, he's generous-hearted, he's not a separatist. he treats everybody the way they would like to be treated. he reaches out to everyone. he still talks about the good community, the noble community. the beloved community. the beloved community that jim lawson first mentioned to him. and he was a person who could have had a wasted life that we would never reach. i joined the new york times that year, the day after john kennedy's election. and one of my la

>> okay steve osunsami from that storm-ravaged alabama. stay safe and thanks. >>> just ahead a wrenching family history. a mother a daughter and the step-father who molested her. they appear together to confront their past. ♪ ♪ professional driver on a closed course. ♪ ♪ do not attempt at home. always wear your seat belt. ♪ ♪ and please drive responsibly. [ male announcer ] it's the most fun you can legally have. see your authorized mercedes-benz dealer for exceptional offers on the c-class. this mother's day, why not send her a smile? we'll handcraft an arrangement that is sure to delight. ohh! take our "tote-ally" original, "tote-ally" mom bouquet, a stylish gift that fits her perfectly. let us arrange a smile for you starting at $29.99. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] you like who you are... the man you've become. and you learned something along the way. about the world. and yourself. ♪ ♪ this is the age of knowing what you're made of. and knowing how to get things done. so, why would you let something like erectile dysfuncti

alabama. >> reporter: a record-breaking 173 tornadoes tore through 14 states. super cells, biblical in size and strength, ripping through homes and devastating farm land. frightening scenes of nature's fury. the worst breakout of tornadoes in 40 years. the hardest hit state? alabama. john brown from severestudios.com was in tuscaloosa when this twister, packing 200-mile-per-hour winds and reaching a mile wide barrelled through the town. and he caught it all on tape. you've seen a few of these, i would imagine where does this rank? >> oh, worst that i've ever seen. and i think the actual data comes out on this one, we're going to see some high winds with this one. i've never seen anything like it, when we saw it, it was really tear jerking to see it destroy people's lives and property. >> reporter: as dawn broke, humbled survivors sifting through what remains. a sea of debris. >> all of your photo albums are over there. >> reporter: judy cook hid in her closet to survive and came back to collec

that is the latest from concord alabama tonight. casey stegall. >>> one woman has set up a tornado lost and found facebook page. boullion says that when the storm came through documents and pictures fell on her yard. so far people have posted more than 500 items on the page and at least 40 of them have been claimed. >>> the space shuttle endeavor will remain on the launch pad until at least next monday morning. nasa cancelled the launch eight hours ago after warning lights indicated that parts of the shuttle back up hydraulic system has malfunctioned. congresswoman giffords was at cape canaveral this morning to watch the launch of the mission being led by her husband mark kelly. it's unclear if she'll be able to remain in florida for the scheduled -- rescheduled launch. >>> president obama arrived in florida before the cancelled launch. the white house hasn't shared any specific details about the meeting with the congresswoman but you will recall she was critically injured after being shot at point-blank range last january. >>> the