this morning on "early today," sunday impact. a deadly tornado outbreak cause a trail of destruction across six states. fair share? on this tax day, surprising new statistics about which americans pay less to uncle sam. and flat line, a house in london sells for a record-breaking amount. hello. good morning, everyone.

welcome to our viewers across the nation. i'm lynn berry. today we begin with disaster aftermath. residents across the south will resume picking up the pieces this morning after a devastating storm system slammed the region. at least 45 people were killed as hundreds of tornadoes tore a path of destruction across several states. kristen dahlgren joins us where the impact hit the worse. good morning. >> good morning, lynn. it's an amazing three-day stretch. 94 reports of tornadoes here in north carolina alone. many of them thought to be the same twister, they may have been the long tract tornados that say on the ground a long time. and can be devastating. >> it just hit all of a sudden. when it hit, it was this wham. >> reporter: it took ten minutes to change the face of a neighborhood from a spring day to a struggle to survive. this is what is left of joe styles' house. he and his family rode it out on the second floor. >> she came and dove on the two

kids. i came and dove on her, and we heard the loud bang and the doors and the glass and everything flying around. >> reporter: the deadly track started in oklahoma on thursday. but as it headed east, the destruction and death toll only grew. in north carolina saturday, 62 tornadoes were reported, 22 people were killed, five more in virginia. the three-day total, now more than 40 lives across six states making it one of the worst spring storms in decades. in raleigh, three children die in a mobile home park. >> they're loving kids, they're beautiful kids. and the world is a sadder place today. >> reporter: among the stories of despair, story of survival. a lowe's department store peeled apart as a manager pushed people to safety in the rear of the store. in gloucester county, virginia

ron matthews made this own escape. >> i was right over there. right there. >> reporter: back in raleigh, it feels a wedding album that survived. giving hope to a couple who lost just about everything else. >> we got it. we got it. >> reporter: and the governor here in north carolina said she has been in touch with president obama who's pledged federal support, lynn? >> kristen dahlgren, thank you. for the first time, the operator of the japanese nuclear plant is laying out a blueprint. over the next three months it goal will be to control leaking radiation by creating new cooling systems. that could allow evacuees to be at home from six to nine months. measurements from robots show a harsh environment, but not one that will be impossible for humans to work in. meanwhile, in a show of support, secretary of state hillary

clinton met with the japanese emperor in japan yesterday, the highest-ranking u.s. official to visit the country since the disaster. according to this morning's "washington post" amid growing unrest in syria, the state department has been secretly financing opponents of the syrian president. the paper reports millions of dollars have flowed to syrian opposition groups since 2005 when then president george bush effectively froze political ties with damascus. the information comes from diplomatic cables provided by ikileaks. the group has funneled money to a channel which has ramped up coverage of recent protests. just this weekend, there were more demonstrations against assad. witnesses say security forces opened fire on protesters at a funeral killing two. and now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america.

a homeless man is under arrest for starting a massive fire in the lone star state's capital. residents raced to hose their homes and evacuate as a thick blanket of smoke covered the area. the fire scorched 30 or 40 acres as well as damaging several homes. it's currently contained but firefighters are still battling to put that blaise out. an emergency landing in new orleans led to one unusual fender bender. engine problems forced a pilot to put his plane down on a grassy median. after touching down, the wing clipped a passing minivan with three adults and two children inside. thankfully no serious injuries were reported. and back to texas where kids travelled from 16 countries to see if they stacked up against the competition at superstack 2011. sport stackers raised against

the clock and each other. the kids posted several record-breaking times. now a look at your national and regional weather, bill karins with the weather channel forecast. a huge fan. what do you think? it is amazing right. >> do you look better on tv. let's talk about the severe weather over the weekend. you don't usually expect an out break like this. the average tornado is 100 miles per hour. on the ground for 10 miles per less. we have the long track tornados on the ground for on our with winds up to 160 miles per hour. 60 miles was how long the

tornado was on the ground. you can see how the dots were lined up. today the next storm system is moving through the west at this time. this one will cause a severe weather out break on tuesday. the on-shore flow has increased and that will cause the clouds along the coast al areas with rain to the cool. medford, oregon, you have a freeze warning tonight. cover up the tender plants that you planted this weekend. >> thank you so much. coming up, what's coming up on wall street this week.

tough luck on oil prices. the airline you better behave on. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, more hard times for actor nicholas cage. you're not going to believe who came to his rescue this weekend. the lakers and spurs are stunned, the black hawks are on the ropes, and the coolest finish you'll ever see in nascar. you're watching "early today."

good morning. welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry. here's some of the top headlines today. today is tax day. if you're struggling to meet the deadline, this may add to your frustration, according to the tax policy center, the so-called super rich pay nearly 10% less taxes than they did a couple of decades ago, and nearly half of american house holds pay no income taxes at all. the on-line dating site match.com said it will begin

screening the users against the national sex offender registry. that development comes days after a california woman filed a lawsuit claiming that the company was responsible for sexual assault. and a london apartment has set the record for the most expensive english flat selling for over $220 million. even more shocking, the owner reportedly bought the apartment with bare walls and no amenities and is spending nearly $100 million to finish it. unreal. now an early look at how wall street will kick off today. the dow opens at 12,341 after gaining 56 points on friday. the s&p was up five points. the nasdaq added four. taking a look at overseas trading this morning. in tokyo, the nikkei lost 34 points. in hong kong, the hang seng dropped 177. well, as earnings season kicks into high gear, investors

could be in for a bumpy ride. disappointing results from alcoa and google have cast a doubt on earnings reports. this week the pressure is on apple, intel, goldman sachs, and citigroup. also ahead, before markets close for good friday, more data on the struggling housing market with fresh figures on new construction and home prices. overseas asian markets shrugged off another move by china's central bank to stave off inflation to upping the reserve by most of the banks by .5%. crude oil futures dipped today, despite news out of saudi arabia that it had cut back on output by march by some 800,000 barrels a day because it believes the market is oversupplied. the move quashed hopes that opec would step in and alleviate prices. >> toyota reduced production in japan for the first time since the natural disaster. it's unclear when they'll be

back up to full speed. samsung may be looking to sell its hard disk drive unit for upwards of $1 million. tim geithner said republicans have assured the administration that the government will vote to raise the debt limit before a default on the nation's debt. and if you're planning to fly hong kong airlines, be on your best behavior. the airline is training all of the cabin crew in kung fu to help them handle unruly passengers. coming up, a nascar photo finish. and big upsets in the nba playoffs including chris paul and the hornets with the lakers. the early morning sports headlines are ahead. in weather, active weather to the middle of the country including more severe weather. the forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." and in sports, the nba playoffs have begun with more than a few surprises. here's nbc's mario solis with an early look at all of your sports headlines.

hi there, good morning, everyone. the lakers and the spurs cruising to the first round of the playoffs. but not so fast, the hornets and the grizzlies came to play. lakers trailing most of the game, even this buzzer beater by ron artest couldn't get them over the hump. hornets up after the break. he had 33 and 14 despite 34 from kobe bryant, the lakers get stung by the hornets, 109-100. down but not out, shane battier dials long distance. grizz up, 99-88. >> can't get the three to fall. the grizzlies win the first game in franchise history. the celtics went down to the wire. ray allen drills it three-pointer for the lead. carmelo anthony, a three for the win. off of the iron. still held on. nuggets and thunder with a night cap. no one was falling asleep

watching this one. westbrook with two of his 31. kevin durant hat 41. nhl playoffs, capitals and rangers under two minutes to play. the drive to the net. somehow the puck flies in the air and over the goalie. that's the game-winner. rangers take it 3-2, caps lead the series, 2-1. to chicago where the defending champions are on life support. they give the canucks a 3-2 lead. that's how it will end. vancouver is a win away from sweeping the black hawks. nascar's final lap, jimmie johnson, clint boyier and jordan fighting for the lead. it's by the slimmest of margins. johnson takes the checkered flag by .002 seconds at talladega. that's your look at sports on "early today." i'm mario solis. >> "early today sports" is brought to you by men's color. your early morning

entertainment headlines are straight ahead. and introducing you to folks who have given each other life's most precious gift. you're watching "early today."

welcome back on this monday. we are going to watch a

storm system moving in today. by noon or so you should clear it on out. scattered showers and cooler. we had record highs in the past weekend. but now coast al areas are cooling off. the marine layer has moved on shore. that will keep you cloudy and cool through much of the week. showers on tuesday. if you are watching us on nbc san diego in san diego, california. get an up close look at the tropical birds of southeast asia as they fly overhead at the san diego zoo. >> thank you for that picture this early in the morning bill. lovely. here's a look at the early morning headlines in entertainment. the box office was for the birds. "rio" took the top spot scoring the biggest opening so far this year with $40 million.

opening in second with less than expected was "scream 4" just above $19 million. also worth noting, despite playing in 1700 theaters, robert redford earned $4 million to finish ninth. elsewhere, if woody allen has his way, perhaps there will be a new politician/actor. allen said he could imagine french president nicolas sarkozy playing humphrey bogart-type roles and could see casting him one of his movies. and nicholas cage was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of several charges after arguing his wife in the french quarter section of new orleans, the $11,000 bail was posted by none other than the reality star wayne dobbs the bounty hunter chapman.

>> there is a contest this morning over which is the most bizarre ar story. and this comes to us from kxas, nbc5 in dallas texas. a reunion made its participants feel great about being alive. hugs about baylor university centers 25th transplant reunion. it draws over 1,000 people each year. this is early today. just your first stop of the day, today on your nta.

here's a offering you can sink your teeth into. a 2500 pound hunk of chocolate was presented during a ceremony in india yesterday. while the confection is meant to signify harmony and peace in the world, it also satisfied some serious sweet cravings. the candy will be broken apart at the end of the festival and served up to the crowd. lucky crowd. as they say, when in rome, do as the romans do. not a problem for these enthusiasts. you dress the part in front of the iconic coliseum. they celebrated the founding of

the ancient capital and hundreds paraded around in togas and gladiator attire complete with shields and a mission to highlight history and culture. gentlemen, start your engines, in this case, your office chairs. starting the sporting side of work, the third annual office chair racing championship thursday. organizers shouted on your chairs, get set, go. and competitors took off onramps, jumps, and downhill slopes reaching speeds of over 20 miles per hour. i've been wanting to duel you in a camera duel. >> there were bad spills and falls. i don't like to see pain. >> i know you don't like to see stupid human trickles. we tried to fulfill that for you. time for an early look at the stories we'll follow throughout the day on nbc. in new york, the pulitzer prize winners will be announced. it honors achievements in several categories.

in boston, over 26,000 runners are taking part in the 115th boston marathon, the world's oldest race. the first man and woman to cross the finish line win $150,000 each. not bad. and today is the anniversary of the famous ride by paul revere. in 1775, revere rode by horseback to warn patriot leaders and lexington area residents that english troops were marching to boston leading the squirmish that launched the american revolution. all day long, you can follow those stories and others as they break on msnbc and tonight watch brian williams on "nbc nightly news." and coming up on the "today" show, today takes you live to the scene of the deadliest disasters and one man helped to save several lives and hear how one young woman is using a life-sized barbie doll to battle eating disorders. keep it on this channel for news, weather, sports, and more.