A terrible storm system that killed at least 200 and destroyed six states across the South is one of the worst the country has experienced in more than four decades.
In the 24-hour period that ended at 8 a.m. CT Thursday, 163 tornadoes had been reported by eye witnesses. One of those, a mile-wide tornado that intersected Alabama, killed more than 130 people in that state alone, just about missing a college campus housing thousands of students, but leveling a large swatch of town with its devastation.
Officials are on the ground Thursday evaluating the damage and delivering emergency services and supplies to the sufferers of the storm.
"While we may not know the amount of the damage for days," President Barack Obama said in a speech Wednesday, "we will continue to monitor these severe storms across the country and stand ready to continue to help the people of Alabama and all citizens influenced by these storms."
The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center said 2011 is already a record-breaking year for storm movement.
Keli Tarp, public information officer with the center, said 610 tornadoes have already been reported this month alone. That number expected will change as those eye-witness accounts are confirmed.
"This year is possible to have a record number of tornados for the month of April," Tarp said.
A record number of tornadoes brought with it a near-record number of passing away.
A NOAA meteorologist, said the number of deaths in Wednesday's storm system was the most in any tornado outburst since 1974, when 315 people died.
The weather system had killed at least 232 people in six southern states, based on figures obtained Monday morning by the News Networks.
32 are reported dead in Mississippi, Tennessee 30 and Virginia eight. Both Arkansas and Georgia reported 11 dead.
Alabama took the hardest hit by now. As of Thursday morning, 131 deaths were confirmed by the Alabama Emergency Management office.
A state of emergency was declared by the president shortly after the storms raged across.
In his statement Wednesday, Obama said he told Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley, R-AL, he had ordered the federal government to move quickly in its emergency response.
"I approved his request for emergency Federal support, including search and rescue assets," Obama said.
Especially hard hit was the city of Tuscaloosa, home to the University of Alabama.
In the college town, a mile-wide tornado killed 32 people and injured hundreds, tossing boats from a store into an apartment building, making holes in rooftops and destroying a swath of restaurant establishments along a bustling street.
Hundreds of buildings and homes were destroyed by the tornado. Overnight Wednesday, search and rescue personnel looked for victims who could be buried beneath the wreckage.
Michael Neese, 21, a junior at the university said, "It was like a white cloud just winding in the parking lot next door to me," he said. "It tore Tuscaloosa up. All of 15th Street is gone."
The massive tornado left Tuscaloosa's hospitals swirling in activity, one of them also damage from the twister.
Brad Fisher, DCH spokesman said,"We're estimating around 600 were treated at DCH Regional Medical Center,".
Windows in several patient rooms as well as a waiting area were blown out there.
More than 100 patients per hour flooded their doors instantly after the storm, Fisher said. The hospital admitted 92 people and reported five dead as of Thursday morning.
In the 24-hour period that ended at 8 a.m. CT Thursday, 163 tornadoes had been reported by eye witnesses. One of those, a mile-wide tornado that intersected Alabama, killed more than 130 people in that state alone, just about missing a college campus housing thousands of students, but leveling a large swatch of town with its devastation.Officials are on the ground Thursday evaluating the damage and delivering emergency services and supplies to the sufferers of the storm.
"While we may not know the amount of the damage for days," President Barack Obama said in a speech Wednesday, "we will continue to monitor these severe storms across the country and stand ready to continue to help the people of Alabama and all citizens influenced by these storms."
The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center said 2011 is already a record-breaking year for storm movement.
Keli Tarp, public information officer with the center, said 610 tornadoes have already been reported this month alone. That number expected will change as those eye-witness accounts are confirmed.
"This year is possible to have a record number of tornados for the month of April," Tarp said.
A record number of tornadoes brought with it a near-record number of passing away.
A NOAA meteorologist, said the number of deaths in Wednesday's storm system was the most in any tornado outburst since 1974, when 315 people died.
The weather system had killed at least 232 people in six southern states, based on figures obtained Monday morning by the News Networks.
32 are reported dead in Mississippi, Tennessee 30 and Virginia eight. Both Arkansas and Georgia reported 11 dead.
Alabama took the hardest hit by now. As of Thursday morning, 131 deaths were confirmed by the Alabama Emergency Management office.
A state of emergency was declared by the president shortly after the storms raged across.
In his statement Wednesday, Obama said he told Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley, R-AL, he had ordered the federal government to move quickly in its emergency response.
"I approved his request for emergency Federal support, including search and rescue assets," Obama said.
Especially hard hit was the city of Tuscaloosa, home to the University of Alabama.
In the college town, a mile-wide tornado killed 32 people and injured hundreds, tossing boats from a store into an apartment building, making holes in rooftops and destroying a swath of restaurant establishments along a bustling street.
Hundreds of buildings and homes were destroyed by the tornado. Overnight Wednesday, search and rescue personnel looked for victims who could be buried beneath the wreckage.
Michael Neese, 21, a junior at the university said, "It was like a white cloud just winding in the parking lot next door to me," he said. "It tore Tuscaloosa up. All of 15th Street is gone."
The massive tornado left Tuscaloosa's hospitals swirling in activity, one of them also damage from the twister.
Brad Fisher, DCH spokesman said,"We're estimating around 600 were treated at DCH Regional Medical Center,".
Windows in several patient rooms as well as a waiting area were blown out there.
More than 100 patients per hour flooded their doors instantly after the storm, Fisher said. The hospital admitted 92 people and reported five dead as of Thursday morning.
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