yunji de nies spent the day with the lucky survivors. yunji, as much as they lost, they're full of gratitude. >> reporter: that's absolutely right, george. this town is definitely thankful. there's not much left of this house. this is the kitchen. the women who lives here is 95 years old. she actually had time to make it down safely to this basement. it's all thanks to a very quick-thinking sheriff. as the tornado barreled toward mapleton, sheriff jeff pratt saw the twister approaching from his truck. >> huge dark clouds, a lot of wind, a little bit of rain. >> reporter: he sprang into action. >> there was gonna be people hurt, a lot of people hurt, so we were calling for all the help we could get. >> reporter: his call triggered sirens, a familiar warning that made jennifer goslar grab her family and run to her cellar. >> i could just tell that everything was being ripped apart. we just said the lord's prayer over and over and over until it was over. >> reporter: you must have been terrified. >> yeah, we were. >> reporter: they all made

yunji? >> reporter: good evening, diane. we are one of those places under a tornado watch right now. people are being told here to listen to their radios, listen for the sirens and get ready to head for the storm shelter. here's why. this is the front door of a house that was destroyed yesterday. the family that lives here was actually inside the living room behind that door, just minutes before the storm hit. the tornado that barrelled down on this town left a path of destruction, stretching three miles wide, tearing 15 miles across, through this tiny town. >> i don't know where to start. >> reporter: richard bass' house but turned inside out. when the siren sounded, he grabbed his three children and ran for a closet. >> i heard glass breaking, every door in the house slamming. i heard the roof go. i could feel the door pulling away from me. and i just held on for dear life. >> reporter: they survived, but four of his neighbors did not. the governor has declared a state of emergency. >> i'm amazed that we haven't had anymor

yunji de nies, abc news, cave spring, georgia. >> and so many americans do want to help. we've heard from so many of you, asking how. and we put the information on abcnews.com/worldnews. you can go there and learn how to help the storm victims. >>> and still ahead on "world news," sam champion is going to give us the anatomy of that most powerful tornado on earth. what it is and how you can possibly survive it. >>> and then, back here in london, we do study the lips of the royals today. what did they really say to each other? and, was it a coincidence that the dress echoed american royalty? well-being. we're all striving for it. purina cat chow helps you nurtre it in your cat with a full family of excellent nutrition and helpful resources. purina cat chow. share a better life. so i wasn't playing much of a role in my own life. but with advair, i'm breathing better. so now, i've got the leading part. advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilat

yunji de nies has the latest. >> reporter: good morning, george. investigators say they consider her a dangerous missing person. her husband told us he has no idea where she is. and he is desperate to find her. >> i've thought of every possibility of anything that could have went wrong. and i have no idea. >> reporter: he hasn't eaten or slept since his wife disappeared on friday night. he had left her at home with their five children to go hunting with a friend. but he went back when he realized he had gotten the dates wrong. >> i pulled in the driveway. my buddy says, your wife's truck's not there. i look over. my jaw just dropped. i was in shock. that doesn't make sense. she just doesn't leave without telling me. >> reporter: he says he found the kids watching tv. the eldest told him his mother had just left to rent a movie at this walmart. police found her suv yesterday in this lot by the highway. inside, there were no signs of a struggle. >> something just isn't right. so, we're going to -- we're treating it as a crime scene. >> reporter: inve

yunji de nies is there. she's in northwest georgia. yunji? >> reporter: good morning, george. those same storms started to hit here around 7:00. and they continued all through the night. this is what they left behind. you can see this was a gas station shop. the roof was completely ripped off. and all of the inside of the store, torn away. this is what's left of the gas station. hardly recognizable. just the awning left. everything else completely destroyed. when you go down that road, the devastation just continues for miles. it was just after dinner time when these deadly tornadoes moved from alabama to northwest georgia, plowing through everything in their path. >> i've been here 51 years. and i've never seen anything like this before in my life. >> reporter: as the fierce storm tore through businesses and homes, some residents were fortunate enough to receive warning. >> we were watching tv. it said seek shelter. so, we came up here and find the closest strong building. >> reporter: here, in ringgold, georgia, a direct hit and a state of emergency. dozens of businesses des

yunji de nies paid them a visit. >> reporter: the british know their hats. kate middleton is no exception. but one look at the kentucky derby and it's clear southern women can hold their own. >> i know that the queen would want us to come so we're going to look fabulous for the wedding. >> reporter: these atlanta belles are making hats to wear on will and kate's big day. >> so your biggest flowers go in first. then we fill in with the smaller flowers. >> reporter: i join them for some crafting and girl talk. >> i just think the whole wedding is wonderful. >> they look very sweet and good together. they look like they belong. >> reporter: these women have decades of marriage under their belts and have some advice for the couple. >> don't go to bed mad. >> always consider each other. don't think i come first. >> the prince and the princess, when they get married, what advice will you give them so they'll be living long and happy together? >> to send me some money. [ laughter ] >> make them happy, okay. >> reporter: ruth kennedy is 101, old enough to have been

and yunji de nies starts us off from vilonia, arkansas. good morning, yunji. >> reporter: good morning, george. the winds were tremendously powerful. take a look at this utility pole. this is the base. that's the middle. and over here, this is what's left of the top. authorities say the devastation stretches three miles wide and 15 miles clear, across this town. >> this thing is right over my head. >> there it is. it's on the ground. it's on the ground. there's the debris field. my god. >> large tornado, on the ground. >> reporter: overnight, thunder roared and warning sirens blared, as at least 38 reports of tornados in 5 states slammed the southern plains. just north of little rock, vilonia, arkansas was hardest hit. at least four people were killed after a series of suspected tornadoes and further northwest three others were killed in flash flooding. this rescue team treaded on foot through deep water, saving young children and elderly residents. the thompsons' house took the worst hit. they were in the house with their two, young child

tonight, yunji de nies visits with a group of ladies from the south who will be tipping their hats to the royal couple. >> reporter: the british know their hats, bride to be kate middleton is no exception. but one look at the kentucky derby and it's clear, southern women can hold their own. >> i know that the queen would want us to come, so we're going to look fabulous for the wedding. >> reporter: these atlanta belles are making hats to wear on will and kate's big day. >> the biggest flowers go in first, then we fill in with the smaller flowers. >> reporter: i joined them for some crafting, and girl talk. >> i just think the whole wedding is wonderful. >> they look very sweet and good together. they look like they belong. >> reporter: these women have decades of marriage under their belts, and have some advice for the couple. >> don't go to bed mad. always consider each other. don't think i come first. >> the prince and the princess, when they get married, what advice would you give them so they would be living longs and happy together? >> to send me some money. [ laughter ] >> repor

at least 14 people killed there, and our yunji de nies is in the town of ringgold and found two lucky and very grateful survivors with one amazing story. >> reporter: it started as a simple trip to the store for a gallon of milk, before the storm. but by the time the brewers pulled into the parking lot, it was too late. >> we opened the doors, of course, it started tearing the doors off the car. i said, we got to ride this one out. >> reporter: the tornado swallowed them. >> 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 onto each other. >> reporter: that's when their car spun around and lifted up into the air -- 15 seconds inside the twister. in those 15 seconds, what was happening in the car? >> well, things were flying around. it broke all of our windows out, the glass just shattered. we had glass in our hair. >> reporter: they smashed back down onto the pavement. >> i said, are we on the ground? he said, yes, we're on the ground. i think what i was waiting for was the car to hit something a

yunji de nies has the story. >> reporter: perhaps it went viral because it is to unspeakably cruel. two girls attacking a third because she deared to use the lay byes room as a transgenders person. >> they kicked me. threw he on the floor. >> reporter: they drag her across the restaurant. >> everybody at the mcdonald's sat there and watched me get hurt. nobody did anything. >> reporter: who is shooting the video and doing nothing? a mcdonald's employee, who can be heard laughing. eventually, a customer steps in. then finally an employee. workers point as she struggles on the floor while one warns her attackers to run away. >> there's the police coming. >> reporter: police arrested both. 18-year-old tiona monet brown is behind bars. her alleged accomplice, who is not being identified because she's 14 also faces assault charges. the employee may have laughed as he shot the images, mcdonald's didn't find it funny. they fired him saying there is no room for violence under the golden arches and we strongly condemn this assault. she says she's afraid to leave her house but the grateful fo

yunji de nies is in mapleton, iowa. which was devastated by at least 20 tornadoes that swept across the state. yunji, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, robin. you can see how powerful the tornado really was. the metal itself is from another building a few blocks away. 60% of the buildings in this town were either damaged or completely destroyed. >> it's getting big. it's coming this way! >> reporter: overnight in wisconsin, seven tornadoes swept through the state. >> the rain is coming. right behind us. we have to go. >> reporter: ripping homes from their foundations, uprooting trees. and leaving a path of destruction. >> that could be an entire wedge tornado on the ground. >> reporter: this new video shows what a half-mile-wide tornado looks like barreling through a small town. watch as this ef-3 tornado touches down. first, the warning siren sounds. >> oh, no, it's coming back. look at this. >> reporter: then the funnel, with winds up to 165 miles an hour. at least 100 homes damaged. >> you just can't imagine t

yunji de nies went for a spin to see if that's safe. >> reporter: 85 miles per hour on the open road. sounds easy, even thrilling. but is it safe? >> the difference is the stopping distance. and i don't think it's realized until you get to the brake pedal and understand that you're not going to be able to stop. >> reporter: race car instructor, don harple, showed us how much distance you need to fully stop. at 65 miles per hour. 75. 85. and 90. oh, my gosh. >> so, that's 90 miles per hour. pretty exciting behind the wheel. >> reporter: not exciting if you're on the highway, though. >> not at all. the reaction time, the distance traveled, it's amazing how much footage you gobble up in a short amount of time. >> reporter: this is where we stopped at 65 miles per hour. if the speed limit is 85, chances are, a lot of drivers are going 90. at that speed, you need at least another 120 feet before you could come to a complete stop. still, some texans like the idea. >> one thing is, if i can get from point a to point b faster. >> people are speeding anyways. just make it legal. >> reporter: f

yunji de nies has more from atlanta. yunji? >> reporter: good morning, cynthia. it happened at this intersection during the afternoon commute. that little boy's mother did speak to us on camera. but she insisted on wearing sunglasses to cover her face because she is scared of the gunman who is still at large. 4-year-old korda's ordeal began at this red light. mom, tammitha williams was in her minivan, laughing with her four children. when the light turned green, the driver behind her grew impatient. >> he blew his horn. i was like, i blew my horn back, like i hear you. >> reporter: she turned and he followed. >> the next thing i know, he's behind me. he's weaving back and forth in traffic. coming beside my car, weaving back and forth. i'm like, what's wrong with this man? he jumped behind me. and then, that's when i heard the gunshot. >> reporter: the bullet penetrated the back door. then, went through the backseat. it was strong enough to then go through the car seat. you can actually see the bullet hole right there. before hitting little korda. >> i have a big

for "good morning america," yunji de nies, abc news, atlanta. >>> a buyers market. but what do you need to look out for? joining us now is dolly lent. thanks for coming in this morning. and give us an important cautionary tale. yes, it is a good time to buy but -- >> yes, it is a good time to buy. but be careful what you're buying. buyer beware. if something is $100,000, it is below market. look at all the costs. make sure this $100,000 home you're buying is a $100,000 home. you'd be surprised. there's lots of reasons why something is below market. >> that's what i want to get to. especially dealing with a house in foreclosure. there could be a lot of hidden costs. >> all kinds of costs. people who left the house may have ripped out insulation. i've heard every horror story you can imagine. be careful what you buy. how much year going to have into it at the end. that you have enough money to carry it while you're doing the renovati renovations. and thif you're planning to ren include those costs, too. a lot of homeowners don't have time to do an inspection. you get

here is yunji de nies. >> reporter: here in vilonia, arkansas, we've been experiencing tornado watches all day long. people here have been told to listen to their a.m. radios, listen for the sirens and head to the shelters if they hear them. here's why. this is the home of a family that was destroyed yesterday. the people who live here were actually sitting in the living room on the other side of the front door. you can see that the front door really barely exists anymore. they feel very lucky, though, to be alive. they ran to a closet inside of the house where they all huddled together and everyone survived. >> i heard glass breaking. every door in the house slamming. i heard the roof go. i could feel the door pulling away from me. and i just held on for dear life. >> it was quite trying. >> reporter: yeah, and now what? >> that's what i'm wondering, now what? >> reporter: unfortunately, four people who live here in this town were not as lucky. they all were killed in the storms. the governor here has declared a state of emergency. >> i'm amazed that we haven't had any more loss of li

hey, yunji. >> reporter: good morning, george. the man who lives here had his home broken into twice in one week. he had a video camera rolling. this is where thieves kicked in the front door. >> the first time, the door would have had to have been replaced. >> reporter: they took his laptop. two days later, they were back for more. this time, his security cameras caught it all. watch as the burglars peer into the door. later, another camera catches them hauling off his flat-screen tv. now with their faces, he's fighting back. >> as quickly as i had the images on my facebook page and started asking friends to put them any where they could on the off-chance someone recognizes them. >> reporter: these cameras cost about $200. they take high-quality pictures. plenty of thieves are getting caught on tape. it's incredible evidence that's giving birth to a modern version of the want posters of the old west. this video of a man climbing in a window landed him behind bar. these men ransack a home in new albany. one of the victim's friends

not only you can help find friends and even organize a revolution as you would like to, as yunji de nies reports, it's helping more and more people actual fighting crime. >> this is where thieves kicked in his door. >> the first time that they did enough damage that the doors would have had to be replaced. >> reporter: they took his laptop, just two days later they were back for more. this time his security cameras captured it all. watch as the burglars peer into the door, looking almost directly into the lens. later another camera catches them hauling off his flat screen tv. now with their faces, barry is fighting back. >> as quickly as i had those images, i actually put thom my facebook page and started asking friends to put them anywhere they could just in the off chance someone recognized one of these people. >> reporter: these home surveillance cameras cost about $200 and they take remarkably high-quality pictures. with more of them around plenty of thieves are getting caught on tape. it's incredible evidence that's giving birth to a kind of modern version of the wanted posters of t