making news in america this morning -- >> historic outbreak. rash of storms in 14 states. what could be the largest outbreak from one system. tiny miracle found in the rubble. also today, new rules for the nation's air traffic controllers after another incident of sleeping on the job. and trump on the stump. the donald rallying crowds and attacki ining rivals. is he ready to run. >> announcer: from abc news this is "america this morning" with rob nelson and peggy bunker. good morning, everyone. residents in 14 states are starting the painful and long process of recovery after a weekend of devastating storms. on top of that, another system could hit this week.

>> the storms spawned more than 240 tornadoes and killed more than 45 people. it could be one of the largest outbreaks in history. the tar heel state was hit the hardest, more than 60 twisters tearing apart north carolina. most of the dead were from two small rural counties not far from raleigh. this storm barrelled across six states. 62 twitters ripped through north carolina, killing more than 20 people and flattening homes and businesses. >> there was pieces of all kinds of metal, boards, just just a complete spiral. >> reporter: it's the worst spinning storm to hit the state in two decades. north carolina governor beverly purdue said touring portions of the state nearly brought her to

tears. >> we have to pitch in. thank god, there were not as many lives lost as could have been when you look at the damage. >> reporter: the manager of this lowe's store in sanford is being called a hero for ushering emply yees and customers to safety as the storm hit. >> everybody was on the floor crouched. the roof was coming off after we were running. >> reporter: after looking at all that was gone and destroyed, many wondering how they survived. >> part of my house there. the other part here. but my family and i are here and that's god's greatest love. >> reporter: many families are thankful. it could have been much worse. >> i look at that. yes, we have lost some property. but it's just property. >> among the victims, three children who died instantly when a tree fell on their mobile

home. >> reporter: i'm just inside the raleigh city limits, in a neighborhood where streets have names like serendipity and enchanting way. look at the neighborhood. piled high with ke bree from the tornado that swept through here. the fronts of the home are mostly okay. the damage here in the back. a couple of blocks away, a home is flattened. in this neighborhood, no one was hurt. no one died. we have seen restoration crews trying to secure a home knowing they have to move on to the next. >> thank you, emily. among the survivors, a frand new family of puppies. ank la says she broke down crying when she saw the little dogs came back. she has nothing left now but the dog and her puppies.e names, lu

twister. our coverage ochl devastation will continue later on on "good morning america." breaking news out of iraq, a pair of car bombs has broen up outside a green zone. the attack targeted a military convoy. and in japan, another step towards normalcy. toyota started production at all its plants for the first time since the earthquake and tsunami hit. it could take up to nine months to end the nuclear crisis. here at home, a miner is missing in idaho. a tunnel collapsed more than 600 feet below ground. crews are hoping a remote-controlled digging machine will help find him. the machine has to be taken

apart, lowered more than a mile underground and then put back together. air traffic controllers have new rules to follow. at least nine hours between shifts instead of eight. controllers cannot trade that shift without that nine-hour break. managers will schedule themselves for more early morning and late night hours. >> we can make changes. the controllers have to take responsibility. they have to be well-rested. they have to be alert. we'll take care of the fact that they need to be well trained. they have to take personal responsibility for this. >> the government says controllers will not be paid to take scheduled naps. in other news, police are

asking for more help finding a missing nursing school student. she was last seen being taken into the woods by a man near her home. police have received more than 250 tips. they're still asking for more. gusty kinds and dry conditions are fuelling a wild fire near austin, texas. crews have been battling fires for days now. the govern eor has declared a state of emergency. so far, 1,000 square miles have burned. that abc at the size of rhode island. for this morning's weather, showers and thorms across the midwest, ohio valley, and parts of the northeast, rapid city, des moines, cleveland, and buffalo. showers around miami. showers and mountain snow in the pacific northwest and northern

california. >> 41 in chicago, 50 in minneapolis. dallas climbs to 90 degrees. new orleans, about 82. 62 here in new york. coming up after the break, more from north carolina, where special weather investigators are hard at work retracing the devastating and deadly storms. major shift overnight by a popular online dating site after a woman says she was assaulted by a man she met there. the talk of the news room. the drive-through mortuary.

are $4 a gallon gas prices here to stay? six states and the nation's capital have crossed that threshold. and several others are on the verge. according to aaa, the national average for gas has increased 26 straight days. that trend is likely to continue. as more people hit the road for summer vacations. overseas, stocks are starting the week on a down note. tokyo's nikkei average fell 0.3% today. meanwhile, hong kong's hang seng is lower. in london, the ftse is lower, too. on wall street, the dow slipped 38 points last week. the nasdaq was down 15 points. well apple is trying to get the ipad into kids' hands. it's selling the product at toys "r" us stores.

the prices are the same at toys "r" us stores. the ipad two is in short supply. subway is slashing the sodium in its sandwiches. "usa today" is reporting that the chain will cut the salt as much as 28% in its food. it will be the first national fast food change to publicly announce a sodium reduction. the popular dating service match.com says it will begin screening users against the national sex offender registry. the announcement comes days after a woman sued match saying she was assaulted by someone she met through the site. it will take 60 to 90 days to implement the policy. and moviegoers flocked to the theaters over the week end to see "rio." the first new "scream" movie in a decade opened in second. and "hop" dropped to third. "rio "? have to check that out. >> it looks good. next, a movie star's weekend in the slammer.

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tell your doctor if you are taking other medications or if you have any muscle pain or weakness. this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. great ride down. if you have high cholesterol, you may be at increased risk of heart attack and stroke. don't kid yourself. talk to your doctor about your risk and about lipitor. powerful winds that hammered the buffalo area have finally died down. winds topping 60 miles an hour kicked up around lake erie for much of the weekend, damaging trees, power lines and overturning tractor trailers. rain, snow, hail, and low temperatures were added in the mix. now for a look at the morning road conditions, wet on i-90 from rapid city to buffalo. on i-80 from omaha to cleveland. on i-70 from indiana to pittsburgh. icy on i-15, 84, in the rockies. wet on i-5 from see at toll san francisco. >> and taking a look at flight

delays. if you are flying, we're looking at some in chicago, detroit, salt lake city and san francisco. recapping the top story on this monday. at least 45 people have been killed as severe storms stretched from oklahoma to virginia. experts now warning that another similar weather system could be on the way early in the week. >> north carolina was especially hard hit when more than 60 twisters touched down. national weather service teams are surveying the damage. david kerley is with them. >> reporter: north carolina residents can't believe what hit them. it's not just here. over the past three days in 12 states, 243 tornadoes have touched down. all of april usually sees only 150. in north carolina alone, the 62 twisters here are three times what they get in a season. jeff orrock of the weather service was out surveying the damage. surprised, as many residents, at

the ferocity and number of the tornadoes. they haven't seen anything like this in 25 years. >> they come around very, very infrequently. the weather conditions that are necessary, to produce these monsters, it's like making a cake. you have to have all the right ingredients. >> reporter: this is not tornado alley, so there are no sirens. the weather service was able to give a half-hour notice. of the string of twisters about to touch down. john powell watched for awhile and then took cover as the tornado imploded his attic. >> my house is not built for tornadoes. >> reporter: the weather service says this does not indicate a change in the weather pattern. the national weather service can't forecast when this will happen again. the folks here hope it doesn't happen again for at least another quarter century. david kerley, abc news. >> we'll hear from storm chasers when our coverage continues on "good morning america" this morning. still no initial announcement from donald trump. it's not stopping him from

hitting the campaign trail. he made his rounds over the weekend. on cnn, he took a swipe at the leading republican hopeful, calling him a "small business guy." >> if and when i announce, some time prior to june, you'll see how big my company is. because it's much bigger and much more powerful, much stronger than anybody knows. >> are you a better businessman? is that a selling point for you? >> i'm a much bigger businessman. i have a much, much bigger net worth. my net worth is many, many, many times mitt romney. i don't know mitt romney. i don't know him. i'm not saying good or bad. i know some of the other candidates. i don't know mitt romney. >> trump continued his theme, alleging that president obama was not really born here in the u.s. nicolas cage is out on bond after getting arrested in new orleans. police say he was heavily

intoxicated when he got in an argument with his wife. he allegedly struck several cars, grabbed his wife by the arm, and then dared police to arrest him. he was bailed out by dog the bounty hunter. who describes himself as a dedicated nicolas cage fan. >> truth can be stranger than fiction. >> indeed. surprising results from the first round of the nba playoffs. here's don bell over at espn news. >> good morning, i'm don bell with your espn news update. a huge day in the nba. we're talking playoff hoops. kobe bryant and the lakers taking on the hornets. game one. fourth quarter. lakers down, 88-82. rise and fire for three. lakers down by three. later in the quarter, chris paul, the jump shot over pau gasol. hornets up by seven. under 2:00 to play. paul working on derek fisher. advantage, paul. hornets win, 109-100. stunning victory there. spurs hosting the grizzlies.

manu ginobili, sidelined with a sprained elbow. under 30 seconds to go. shane battier with the huge three. grizzlies lead. what will the spurs do? richard jefferson, no good. grizzlies, they upset the spurs, 101-98. they take game one. to boston. the celtics hosting the knicks. under 15 seconds to play. ray allen, still got game. sinks the three. celtics up by two. knicks no time-outs. carmelo anthony, first playoff game as a new york knick, no good. celtics win. 87-85. game one, thunder and nuggets. just over 1:00 to play in the fourth. russell rest brooke, misses. serge ibaka there with the tip-in. looked like he interfered. they called it a basket. thunder up by one. westbrook with the dagger. thunder win it, 107-103. that is the latest on the sports scene. now back to you.

all right. well in a city dominated by cars, perhaps it's no surprise that los angeles has a very unique way to remember the dead. a mortuary in the compton neighborhood offers drive-by viewing of the deceased. >> i don't know what to say about this story. the owner of the funeral home says it's a matter of convenience. mourners can drive by after work, sign the condolence book, and never have to leave their cars. >> unbelievable. a plate-glass window there. a genuine drive-through viewing. >> we don't talk anymore, we text. now this. i don't know what to say. >> truth is stranger than fiction. coming up negs, the stories we'll be follows later today. after carbo-loading, it's race day in one of the country's most prestigious marathons. and the painful process of cleaning up is under way now in 14 states. ♪

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and now a look ahead at the stories we'll be watching on this monday. states from oklahoma to maryland are cleaning up from historic storms. hardest hit, north carolina. some classes are canceled, and the state dmv is closed after taking a direct hit. today will be another day of high wind gusts fueling the wild fires. winds of up to 40 miles an hour are expected across texas.

so far, more than 700,000 acres have burned. it's tax day. you have until midnight to file your federal tax return. if you owe the government money. the deadline is a couple of days late this year. well, "spider man: turn off the dark goes dark today. it's on a three-week hiatus. the new version of the show debuts on may 12th. >> so they say. thousands of runners are getting revved up for the 115th annual boston marathon. 500,000 people are expected to turn out to watch. coming up on "good morning america," we have all heard about downsizing. what about living in an apartment that is 90 square feet. for new york, it's all about location, location, location.

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up next on abc7 news at 4:30 -- a key deadline today for pg&e in a state investigation into whether the utilities record-keeping plays a role in last fall san bruno explosion and fire. also this morning, the 105th anniversary of the san francisco earthquake and fire. remembrances set this morning at the fountain. we'll be there live. >> we're tracking rain showers in the morning commute. well, finally from thus morning, a bonanza in the gulf. >> this wednesday marks one year

since the massive be p oil spill. while some struggle to get back on their feet, others line their pockets. >> reporter: they afford ordinary goods and services at extraordinary prices. they leased equipment to bp, often at 20 times the regular cost. you say this parrish and others raped bp. what do you mean? >> leasing a generator for $15,000 a month when you can go anywhere to rent one at $1,500 a month. >> reporter: businessmen like this man sold bp things from suits to scoopers. business was up 1,000%. >> it's been very good for our business, i'll say that. >> reporter: do you have any rooms. >> no, sir. i'm totally booked, six months. >> reporter: this house is going

for $30,000 a month. before this spill, it went for $1500 a month. all of this is paid for by bp. a recent report discovered local officials used cleanup money to by new suvs, tasers, an ipad. did bp think of putting an end to it? not really. >> our focus was meeting the historic response, no matter what it took to deliver. >> reporter: despite the merely $18 billion spent here, tens of thousands await claim checks and for an uncertain fishing season to begin. matt gutman, abc news. >> that's at shocking. overpaying for so many things. is that the best way to spend the relief money? >> there's always an economic offshoot. >> that's what's making news in america this morning. >> you request get more later. have a great monday.