the queen in beautiful bright yellow. wearing her yellow hat and coat dress. just as the bookies predicted. somebody got some money on that one. have a great weekend, everyone. good morning. joy and tragedy. a historic day in honor done as prince william marries catherine middleton under the gaze of hundreds of thousands lining the streets of london. perhaps as many as a billion watching around the world. back home in the united states residents across the south are still shaken after america's deadliest tornado outbreak in more than 30 years. 300 people killed, entire towns wiped out. many are still trying to reach all the victims. this as president obama prepares to arrive in alabama later today. we have the very latest for you on these two major stories with reporting live from alabama and from london, early this friday morning, april 29th, 2011.

and we welcome you to "the early show" on this friday morning. 7:00 a.m. on the west coast, 3:00 p.m. here in london. i'm erica hill in london where it has been a day full of excitement and pageantry and the wedding of prince william and kate middleton went off without a hitch. all the highlights from the royal wedding. the dress you see it there, the ceremony, the parade, the first kiss. but there's important news back at home where widespread areas of the south are devastated by the most destructive tornado in decades. harry is in pratt city this morning, it's the scene from some of the worst damage from wednesday's storms. >> good morning to you. pratt city is a neighborhood within the city limits of birmingham. a neighborhood that saw some bad damage and death back in 1998 when bad tornadoes went through

here, but nobody could have anticipated what happened here on wednesday night. the entire neighborhood behind me is basically flattened. luckily, and we say luckily and put that word in quotation marks, only two people lost their lives here because the death toll was quite stunning. throughout the south, in five states as of this moment, 297 people killed. and more than 200 killed just in alabama alone. now, in terms of power outages and how people are getting ready to put things back together again, there's still as many as a million businesses, businesses and homes throughout the south that still don't have power. among the hardest hit towns is tuscaloosa, alabama, about an hour west of here. that's where mark is standing by and has the latest. >> good morning. inside of an hour the president will actually see it for himself. president obama is going to come here and take a look at this destruction, which is just intense and very widespread. people here are looking for help

from washington. it's too late for the president to help the 37 people who were killed in this tornado, but there are thousands who are now flat on their back, their home destroyed. they need help from somebody, and they're hoping that the president will bring some of that help with his tour here today. these people are looking -- i understand that the president is here to lend sympathetic support, but what they're really looking for is resources, financial paurt. they'll take the sympathy. but what they really want is washington to help in a moment of need that this community has never seen before. >> mark strassmann in tuscaloosa, we'll have more from you later on tonight on the "cbs evening news." right now we want to come back to pratt city in birmingham and have a conversation with chris coleman and his wife deanta and their children. you are a disk jockey here on the most popular radio station in town. you were on the air friday afternoon talking about these

storms nonstop. >> yes. we started really going on wall-to-wall about 2:00 when some of the -- we cover so many counties. and when it touched down, we just stopped programming. at the time i'm giving instructions like, hey, the tornado's here, we're telling everybody where to go safely. when we found out the tornado was coming from tuscaloosa to here, they started evacuating us at the radio station because we're on the tenth floor in a building. so i'm like, yo, you guys got to get downstairs. >> did you know where deante was? >> i was that morning talking to kids when you hear the sirens go to the lowest part of the house and you should be safe. >> did you hear the sirens? >> yes, we did. >> what did you do? >> we were watching the news. >> you did go to the basement, though. did you think this was real or does it seem like, oh, this stuff happens, can't happen to you? >> i had no idea that it would

be as bad as it was till i went outside. >> afterwards, you mean? but you were scared enough and smart enough to go down the basement. >> down the basement. >> right? what was it like in the bayment when the storm was over. >> we were laying down. >> screaming, praying, just telling each other how much we love each other. >> the storm literally went right over your house. >> we didn't know what was next. >> my gosh, and you're at work. >> i was at work, worried to death about these children. worried about whether they got in the basement. could you get hold of them on the phone? >> no, sir. i kept calling. the phone was busy. my cousin left a voice message saying we've been hit, we've been hit. her husband went around the corner to locate the kids out the basement. >> my heart is pounding right now. did they let you in the neighborhood? >> at first they didn't. a police officer saw me and said, park your car and walk to your house. i ran.

i got to my neighborhood, i was disoriented because my neighborhood wasn't there. >> when you saw your house? >> totally -- i was amazed. i ran to my cousin who saved them and said, hey, i got the girls out. they're safe. now i'm breathing okay. because i'm thinking looking at this house there's no way somebody could have survived this. >> completely flat. >> totally gone. >> were you able to get out okay? >> the only part of the house is the part of the basement that we were in. >> the only part that didn't collapse. >> yes. >> yes. >> yes, yes, yes. god is good so -- god is good. >> unbelievable. >> yes, it is. and right now we're staying with my sister and we're 30 miles on the other side of town. >> but you got each other. >> i got my home. this is my home. >> thank you for coming on. >> thank you. >> we really appreciate it. good job, guys.

indeed. erica, back to you in london. >> what a family. harry, thanks. nearly a decade after they first met and five months after their engagement was announced prince william and kate middleton are finally husband and wife. cbs news correspondent mark phillips is at westminster abbey with a look at the wedding's most memorable moments. good morning. >> they're starting to clear up here. they've taken the barriers away and the crowd -- well, some of it's gone, the rest is still hanging around here. the bells, the bells are still ringing. they'll ring in our heads for weeks, i'm sure. this has been a party that won't quit. this is what it looked like. first glimpse of the bride at the wedding of the century so far. kate middleton about to answer the most important question of the day as she arrived at westminster abbey. what would the dress be like? answer -- a stunning design by sarah burton, which the bride wanted to combine tradition and modernity. and with its full veil, short

train, lace and slim line, that's exactly what it seemed to do. her arrival was part of the clockwork choreography in these pageants. crowds lined the route at dawn. a procession of guests arrived famous, the not so famous and the unknown. william arrived wearing the uniform of regiment of which he was made honorary colonel two months ago. he was accompanied by his brother harry also in army ceremonial uniform. always last to arrive, the queen, in daffodil yellow. but it is this image which will be seen over and over again through the years. an about-to-be-married young woman walking down the aisle of westminster abbey on the arm of her father. the personification of a thousand years of tradition

about to become a royal bride. as catherine approached william seemed to say you look beautiful. the ceremony followed the church of england tradition. i, william arthur philip louis. >> i, william arthur philip louis. >> take thee catherine elizabeth. >> take thee catherine elizabeth. >> to be my wedded wife. >> to be my wedded wife. >> he gave her a ring of welsh gold. william has chosen not to wear a ring. >> i pronounce to be husband and wife together. >> now her royal highness, the duchess of cambridge and william the duke of came democrat bribr bestowed on them by the queen. and the royal rides in a royal coach. the future of the monarchy and 110-year-old open carriage. back to buckingham palace for a reception thrown by the queen. the crowd along the route estimated at as many as a million. an one more royal tradition, the balcony appearance and the kiss.

now, we all know that the royal family has produced some compelling storylines over the year. now once again they proved they can put on quite a show. erica? >> that they can. parts of it still going on. mark phillips at westminster abbey for us. thanks. joining us here is victoria arbiter. we watched a lot of this together this morning. what was it about this day that really spoke to you? >> i think probably the fact that we've got this very public wedding. an estimated 2 billion people are watching. it was still a very personal day for william and kate. there were some really tender moments, intimate moments that we got to share. we were such saps. we're watching william going you look beautiful to kate. but that's what we want to see. this really feels like a true fairytale. you don't want to put that connotation on them, but you

believe that this couple are genuinely in love and are going to make it. >> we aired the 1981 wedding of charles and diana, william's parent. they walked out of the church and they didn't really look at one another. they didn't seem that excited or that happy. it was the exact opposite with this couple this morning. >> it was. we looked at that footage of diane in and the nerves had got the better of her and she was deep breathing an a sense of occasion. and william and kate looked like it could be any other day for them. we have to start calling her catherine. but she seemed so at ease. a forum she was just born for. she'll do very well. >> it's interesting in the way that in the short five months these two have seemed to have brought about a sense of nationalism and national pride here. it is, if you can find a surface in london right now that is not covered with a union jack, i would be amazed. >> you're absolutely right. a tremendous burden that's on their shoulders, but i think william's aware of it.

but he's got such a knack. the fact that the night before the wedding he was out on the mall shaking hands with campers. whether or not it rained they were going in the open topped carriage. people were prepared to sleep on the street, they were prepared to get wet. they're so in touch with what the people want. >> the people wanted for a long time to know who she was going to wear. are you surprised they were able to keep this gorgeous dress designed by sarah burton of alexander mcqueen, which was rumored but not confirmed, a secret in. >> i'm amazed they've kept it a secret. we had no one telling stories, no ex-boyfriends, girlfriends, kissing and telling, nobody prepared to talk about anything. so it's been really quite remarkable that we've had four months of engagement and no paparazzi pictures taken, no threat pulled out of a trash can. >> this is a cartier tiara from

the '30s. george vi bought it. >> he bought it for his wife, the current queen mother. >> then she loaned it to her granddaughter-in-law that we can call catherine, as you pointed out. their day is far from over. >> they've got a long day still ahead. that's the way with british weddings. they've got their formal reception right now. they'll leave to go to clarence house. they'll have a rest. it is possible that catherine may change dresses. we could see another dress come out of clarence house. but they'll look forward to tonight when they'll kick back with their friends, relax and enjoy the wedding and celebrate by letting their hair down. >> do you think the queen is ready to relax a little as well? a long day for her? >> rumor has it she's high tailing for windsor and she's leaving buckingham palace to the

youngsters. >> 6:00 a.m.'s survivor's breakfast for anyone still standing at 6:00 in the morning. we were watching and behind us we see buckingham palace. we can see all the people crowded in here. we saw them come in off the mall once the carriages have gone through. and the lengths that people went to. this space is empty now. picture it filled with people. we saw parents bringing stools for their kids to stand up on. they went for a bit of a swim. >> it's cold out there and the water's cold but people would do whatever they could do to make sure they could see the kiss. it was everything we were waiting for. a controlled surge up the mall, people were respectful of the occasion. but we saw them in the fountains, lovely that parents had stools for their children because their children will remember this day. >> were you surprised that the middletons came out on the balcony alone with the royal family. >> i was surprised. that's the duty of the whole royal family to come out. it was a shame not to see all

the aunts and uncles but the balcony is not big enough to accommodate everyone. but this is kicking off a great year for them. >> it is. thanks as always. we want to head back to new york. jeff glor at the newsdesk with a look at some of the other headlines we're following. >> good morning to everyone at home. we mentioned the president will be in alabama today looking at tornado damage. after visiting the alabama disaster zone, the president goes to florida for the planned launch of the space shuttle "endeavour." it will be "endeavour's" final mission and the next to last flute of nasa's shuttle program. also present will be gabrielle giffords, her husband astronaut mark kelly is in command of "endeavour's" mission. we'll have a live

and now back to erica in london. princess hill? >> thank you, prince glor. just ahead we'll have more on the royal wedding. we'll hit the streets to see what the bride and groom have been up to since that whole wedding bit. woman: till all the books are read... man: and all the pens are put down... woman: and everything there is to learn is learned. man: till the heroes retire and the monsters return to their dens... woman: and all the plots are wrapped up. man: till that day... boy: by hook or by crook... girl: by book or by nook...

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just ahead as we continue our coverage from london, ever since they left the abbey, william and kate have been one busy married couple. we'll see them parading through the streets of london, kissing on the balcony of buckingham

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antioch firefighters on the scenes of two fires right now.. one burned and 'a stree good morning. it's 7:25. time for news headlines. i'm frank mallicoat. >> antioch firefighters on the scene of two fires right now. one burned a building on 20th and a streets. the other is near delta fair boulevard and san jose drive. no word on injuries or the cause of either fire. a fire under investigation in san jose, a cannabis club. it also burned in january. it's a complete loss this time. the house next door was damaged this time. no injuries reported. no cinco de mayo parade in san jose this year and no one knows when it might return. the nearly 30 years now, thousands turned out to watch the colorful parade downtown. but organizers from the american g.i. forum have cancelled it because they can't afford to pay for

police protection and they are having finding a major sponsor in addition to safeway. budget cuts strike once again. we have your. traffic and weather right after this. ,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,

it's a wind sandra day o'connor in the bay area and

wind advisories in effect on some bridges. a live look at the bay bridge from chopper 5. warning signs up for high winds in several bridges in the area. metering lights are on. only slight delays at the bay bridge toll plaza. it looks like it's backed up to the first overcrossing. you can see how windy it is out there from our 880 camera in oakland shaking book and forth as you pass the coliseum. the drive is great though. no issues all the way towards downtown oakland. and traffic moves well out of downtown san jose. that's your traffic. here's lawrence with your forecast. we have some great weather around the bay area. a lot of sunshine to begin with. winds are kicking up a bit. how about this shot for you looking good. the chopper up and looking at nice clear skies toward the golden gate. no fog to speak of. we are not going to see any over the weekend as high pressure will build in. winds kicking in today. blustery at the coast. some gusts to 30 miles an hour. the weekend looks great. how about this? those winds calm down and move offshore. 70s and 80s common through the weekend. ,,,,,,

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welcome back to "the early show." i'm erica lil hill in london. you're looking at a live picture. because we're waiting to see when prince william and his wife catherine, although they're now the duke and duchess of cambridge, when they leave from the buckingham palace over to clarence house. we'll keep our cameras trained there. we'll bring you that shot. but we do want to get you caught up on what has been a whirlwind day for this couple. earlier today they were married in a ceremony for the ages. after that, it was a parade through the streets of london. one seen by a million or more

spectators. and one of the folks who was out there to witness it, although he was working hard, is cbs news correspondent ben tracy who is just outside of buckingham palace as well. you've had a front row seat to watch this unfold and a lot of excited people around you. >> that is sure. we feel very lucky. we're street side down here on the mall as they call it here, not the mall. we are waiting for hopefully prince william and his new bride to take the short journey over to clarence house. half the people down here have already left. they're trying to clear people out of the area. those who have stayed will get a little treat. i don't think most people know that the prince and his bride are going to be coming down this street in hopefully five minutes or so. they'll head down to clarence house where they'll have two hour, cooling their heels, getting together for the big festivities tonight. that will be a reception and a dance. the queen's reception where she's served champagne and i'm

told, 10,000 canapes to 650 of their closest friends. a sense of the menu, cornish crab salad, dark chocolate began ash truffles, they've been served champagne and wedding cake. lots of festivities at the palace. out here on the street people hoping to get one more glimpse of catherine middleton in her wedding gown as well as prince william. >> we'll continue to watch that shot as well. right now that we're joined by sir malcolm ross, who is going to help us track exactly what the couple has been up to in the time since they were pronounced man and wife. sir malcolm ross, for some 20 years basically organized all the royal family's major events. you joined us earlier in the week on "the early show." we appreciate your expertise and insight. >> quite lovely. it's been a stunning day, the british pageantry at its best. everything has been just superb. >> you were there in the abbey.

>> i was in the abbey. >> for the wedding. >> yes. >> what struck you the most about this wedding? it seemed to go off without a hitch. >> i think it did go off without a hitch. i didn't look for hitches but i think i would have spotted them. fantastic. wonderful music, just spectacular music. very lovely touches. the duchess of cambridge's brother reading beautifully. >> for people who may have not caught that, this is now catherine middleton -- she's now her royal highness the duchess of cambridge. >> indeed. tremendous. >> this is a title bestowed on the couple this morning. this is traditional for the queen to give them titles as wedding gifts. there were a couple handed out. >> one english, one scottish, one irish. >> as is custom. >> as is custom. >> one thing that struck a number of us here is that she is not actually princess catherine, even though she married a prince and she's not princess kate, she's princess william.

>> technically she's princess william, yes, that's correct. we'll have to get used to that. we'll have to get used to her being the duchess of cambridge. >> i'm sure she's getting used to it herself. she seemed made for this moment. cool, calm, collected and seemed excited a little bit, too. >> i was immensely impressed mp in the car on the way to the abbey, when nerves might have been on her mind. i dare say she was calmer than her husband. >> he did look a little more nervous, although it seemed that he was cracking jokes. someone tweeted that he leaned over to his almost father-in-law and said i thought we were going to keep this a small family affair. >> so i heard. that's a lovely touch. that was nice. they were both relax during the service and took it all in. >> there was a little overcast here today, a couple sprinkles, but the skies never opened up. they said last night even if it rained they were going to go through the streets because all the people had waited for them.

this seems to be a change in the way the monarchy does business. >> yes, it is. the new monarchy, people, the family, are leading us forward. i'm not saying that their parents and grandparents are stuffy and old fashioned but the young ones are keeping up with the pace of society, which is very healthy for us, very good for us. we're now looking at a new generation of royal family. that's just tremendous. >> what happens from here? as they begin their life as a married couple and as the monarchy does move into this next phase, what will we see from them next? >> to start with, not a lot because he does have a full-time job as a pilot and is stationed in anglesea. a perfect place to be. well off the beaten track and they can get to know each other as man and wife. then slowly he'll have to come more into the public eye. but from what we've seen from catherine in the public, she's a natural. she does seem to be a natural. for more than 20 years you helped plan a number of weddings

and funerals, major occasions for the family. give us an idea. a lunch reception getting ready to wrap up. but going on behind us, ben talked a little about it. what would be happening for those 600 guests? who is mingling, who is talking? what's the queen doing? >> everybody is mingling and talking. it is not a sitdown party. there will be seats for those who like to sit but rather like a cocktail party. standing, talking, eating lovely delicious canapes, drinking champagne. many of them will have met already yesterday when the queen hosted a dinner party for members of the foreign royal family. there would have been other parties. so it's on a roll. everybody is on a roll. >> i know you're making the rounds. we'll hold on to you for a little longer just to get some more of these snippets out of you. a lot of people in the states at their reception they have what's called a receiving line or the bride and groom try to do their best to go around to tables to

greet each of the guests. does that happen at a royal wedding reception with some 600 guests? >> i won't happen today. in fact, the young couple will be the last into the room because they'll have been on the balcony. the royal family left the balcony, they've gone to join the reception. the reception guests would have been there for the best part of an hour by then. then into the room will be the royal couple and party from then on. >> we had our cameras trained on the balcony. you could see two of the curtains go back and we saw people peek out. >> that usually happens particularly if there are little people in there. another stunning factor was the bridesmaids and pageboys they were sweet and lovely. the twitching curtains with little faces, perfect. >> the middletons came out on the balcony along with the royal family. were you surprised to see they're brought into that moment? >> no, that's a norm now, too. it's their day as much as

everybody else. and quite wrong to leave them out. to get the experience of standing on the balcony. >> know what their daughter's gu through. >> we see some random cheering. we may see -- these are live pictures of the happy couple, prince william and his bride, the princess, on their way out. now, is that one of the search and rescue helicopters that prince william pflies? >> that's exactly that. >> we were told there may be a bit of a surprise from prince harry as they exit. we'll have to watch this again. we're watching this live as prince william and his bride leave. in their well decorated car leaving buckingham palace. they're on their way to clarence hou house. it appears that the prince has changed. he seems to be wearing a dark coat, no longer his uniform of the irish guard. he's an honorary colonel in the iron guard. that's the red one we saw him in earlier. y we can really hear the helicopter above us. the royal air force rescue, raf,

it says-do you thing that was maybe the little surprise. >> that's definitely a surprise. those will be his colleagues from the same raf station. >> check out that license plate. just wed. a balloon is blocking that shot. ben tracy, the folks with you must be excited to be getting a double dose of the royal couple on their wedding day. >> erica, they just drove by. everyone here is very excited. i'm not sure everyone expected to see them in that car or to see the prince driving that car, but they are heading down to clarence house. that is not a long way from here. this is really about a 1 1/2 minute drive so people who still line the sidewalks here are obviously getting a big treat and i think a big surprise given how this is all playing out. pretty cool to see that car with the just married license plate on the back of it. and the royal couple heading down to clarence house. they'll kind of cool their heels there for a bit and get ready

for the big festivities tonight that their father, pribs charnc charles, is putting on for them. >> what a moment, sur malcolm, as we watched them driving over to clarence house. you were surprised to see william driving the car. >> yes. >> one would expect them to have someone driving them. >> we've had ra couple in the last few minutes. very big surprises. wonderful. >> perhaps another touch. there's been so much talk about how they're trying to make this, more, quote, unquote, normal, if you will for the british people to be respectful of these economic times that so many people are struggling with but also to approach themselves more to their subjects, as it were. it seems that's another touch. >> it is. they don't want to be stuffy. they want to be modern. they're fantastic. they're their own people. they're very definite in their minds what they want to be. they are their own people. but boy do they have a lot of

people to love them right now. thanks for giving us the inside we'll be right back with more from london. woman: till all the books are read... man: and all the pens are put down... woman: and everything there is to learn is learned. man: till the heroes retire and the monsters return to their dens...

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arriving back at buckingham palace. we just got to see them again as the bride and groom left buckingham palace. the prince was at the wheel as they drove out in a blue convertible. ben tracy was right there on the street as they drove by. ben, back to you. >> it was a pretty cool moment, for sure. we're here with sonya and jason. what did you think about what you just saw? >> it was great. so exciting. i loved it. >> were you surprised to see prince william driving the car? >> i was sure. i can't believe it. >> what has this experience been like to be here in the city during this wedding? >> a great experience for americans because it gives a different view, an american view versus the british. >> that's very true. the british, they think it's amusing how into this we are. you americans are so excitable. but a pretty exciting day down here on the mall. so i think we get a pass for this day, erica.

>> i think you might. and i will say, we sort of had to muscle our way through that crowd to get to our location over here. i'm sure you dealt with that a little bit as well. there seemed to be plenty of excitement and excitable people among the british folks along the mall this morning as well, wouldn't you say, ben? >> this stiff upper lip moved a bit today. they put on a pretty good show in this town. hard not to get excited about it. >> they do put on quite a show. ben tracy for us live down there in buckingham palace at the end of the mall there. what a show it has been. we'll continue to bring you the latest live from london as we look at the highlights of the wedding including the ceremony, the kiss, the grand exit as we know that william and catherine are now preparing for the next step, the next two receptions. much more to come. ♪ i've found a new love a zero-calorie true love ♪

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headlines... a fire destroyed a former pot club in san jose overnight. the club had good morning. i'm sydnie kohara with your cbs 5 news headlines. a fire destroyed a former pot club in san jose overnight. that club had been abandoned since a previous fire in january. this morning's fire spread to a neighboring house damaging the roof and attic and displacing four people. some key pg&e documents have been written in erasable ink. the puc investigating the utility's recordkeeping practices. the "chronicle" says that in 2007 the puc questioned pg&e's use of that erasable ink. then pg&e ordered employees to use only nonerasable ink on maintenance and operations records. the space shuttle endeavour blasting off in five hours for the last time.

it's the next-to-last shuttle flight for nasa. president obama and his family will be there. congresswoman gabrielle giffords will also attend, watching her husband, who is endeavour's commander. traffic and weather coming right up. stay with us. i am a sneeze whisperer. i am an allergy analyst. bermuda grass. ragweed. willow. i am a dander decoder. chihuahua. i am a target pharmacist. ask me about allergy relief. let's just think of warm things...my new-sorry... -steak grilled sandwich...piping hot with tender steak, grilled onions, and bourbon barbecue sauce all covered with hot melty cheese on grilled artisan bread. hot...steaky... toasty...melty... this isn't working, i'm just getting hungry.

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blocking one lane and you can see, we can see brake lights as far back as richmond. if you are heading towards the bay bridge toll plaza, the delays aren't too bad. the metering lights have been on since just before 6:30. it is jammed to the very end of the parking lot. so overall, friday light. a little sluggish from the incline towards the "s" curve. and we still have these wind advisories in effect here at the bay bridge, san mateo bridge, dumbarton bridge, and the benicia bridge this morning. here's one more live look at the san mateo bridge where conditions look great. that's your traffic. here's lawrence with a check of your forecast. >> elizabeth, we have that sunshine out there this morning. yup, the winds are kicking up just a bit but looking good so far and it's going to stay that way all day long. the winds are going to whip toward the coastline. going to be blustery there and temperatures will stay cooler. plan on highs at the beaches mainly in the 50s today, plenty of 60s inside the bay and mid- to upper 60s inland but those winds will be kicking up as we head toward the weekend winds offshore and here come the temperatures up into the 70s and 80s.

and those are those deadly tornados in the south. harry smith is covering that story for us. he's in alabama this morning. the state hardest hit by those storms on wednesday. good morning once again. >> good to be with you. we're in pratt city which is a neighborhood in birmingham. this is a neighborhood that has been completely decimated. there's a house nearby where an elderly lady lived. her ka is up the street. she's missing and unaccounted for. they brought in dog teams, search and rescue squads. they're going around letting the dogs feel around. they're starting to probe in some of these houses. a couple of people died in this neighborhood they know for certain, but now they're into that painstaking process of trying to account for the

missing. this is a neighborhood they felt was pretty much searched through. they did the katrina houses. the ones that they could search through. they painted with spray paint on the side to say this place is searched. now they're into a much more thorough search. these are trained dogs. they're basically cadaver dogs at this point. seems much more like not a rescue mission but a recovery mission. you can see that happening across the street. the death toll is right at about 300, give or take a couple. several names get added to the list by the hour. now president obama has landed in tuscaloosa, which is just an hour or so west of us here. it is one of the hardest hit towns. home to the university of alabama. much of their superstructure is intact. but there's significant damage there and there is also significant loss of life. now, just about an hour north of us here is coleman, alabama.

that's where elaine qiano is standing by now. >> good morning to you, rr. residents here in coleman are beginning the massive job of cleaning up. take a look at this neighborhood here off to my right. you'll see this is just one area here in coleman. you get a sense of the scope of the destruction here and how big a job cleaning up really is going to be. we had a chance to go out with the team from the national weather service. their job is to really establish a profile of the storms. they say the one that blew through here in coleman was very powerful. they say it had winds of more than 100 miles per hour. that it blew through very quickly. 60 to 70 miles as it traveled on the ground. and the woman that was in this house behind me here just barely was able to seek shelter. she happened to be on the phone with her sister who was watching storm coverage. her sister said, there is a

tornado bearing down on the courthouse a few blocks away. so the woman here sought shelter. she scrambled to her basement and she survived. harry? >> elaine, there are stories like that all over alabama and all over the south as 300 dead now across five states. as you can see, the rescue team is working in this house. the woman who lived there, we talked to her. she says there but for the grace of god i survived. she literally laid down on her bedroom floor as soon as she heard the emergency report on the television. the sbentire house collapsed around her. she said angels must have been protecting her because when the storm passed she came out alive. a lot of stories like that in this part of the world. we'll have a lot on that on the evening news with katie couric. now back to london where erica is standing by. back to you. >> harry, thanks. we do want to turn now to jeff

glor who is standing by at the newsdesk with a check of the other headlines this morning. >> good morning to everyone at home. still looking like a go this afternoon for the launch of the space shuttle "endeavour." congresswoman gabrielle giffords will be on hand to watch her husband mark kelly command the shuttle. don teague has the latest on that. >> reporter: you can see it's windy here, which is a bit troublesome. but they're saying 70 pr% chancf go today for the shuttle launch. first and foremost as you mentioned because gabrielle giffords is here to watch her husband, astronaut mark kelly, launch into space on "endeavour"s a commander of this mission. it's the first time the congresswoman has traveled since her transfer to a houston rehabilitation center which

and now back to erica in london. if you could possibly line up one of those blue aston martin convertibles and bring it back with you to the states, that would be great. >> jeff, why did you have to ruin the surprise? all right, it won't be as exciting now >> excellent. >> just ahead, we reveal jeff's big surprise gift. but to the biggest mystery of the day managed to remain a secret until the very last moment, kate's bridal gown. now that we have seen the gorgeous dress, now we know who is steiner is, how about a review from the man who designed princess diana's gown? [ boy ] there's something inside your mcdonald's happy meal.

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a beautiful shot of buckingham palace there as we continue our coverage live from london of the royal wedding. joining me is tom bradley of britain's itv news. you did the only interview with the couple. they got engaged. she was in that beautiful dress. she had on the ring. then they sat down and they spoke with you. that was about five months ago. you were there in the abbey this morning for the wedding. >> yeah. >> did you notice any sort of a transformation in them as a couple in between those two very important moments in their lives? >> no. i think they -- she was very nervous when they did that interview because no one had heard her speak before. she knew hundreds of millions would watch it. they were both pretty -- they knew that people would probably make up their minds on what they thought about her on what they heard. so she was very nervous. what i have seen is that she's grown in confidence a lot.

she's done a few public appearances between then. it must be pretty -- we all got wedding day nerves. it's not -- but at the end of the day when you do it in front of millions of people, it's really quite tricky. she looked really happy, very relaxed. >> she did look relaxed. i'm starting to sound lickke a broken record but see almost seemed born for this day. it seemed natural. >> you saw that when she arrived at the hotel last night. i know they've done their best to block out -- there's this enormous city parked right outside the palace. hard to miss the worldwide attention. but you can't process that millions will watch on tv. they tried hard not to process that. at the end of the day, they kept their focus right from the start that their relationship is about the two of them. they really wanted the service today to be about that. they seemed to manage quite

well. clearly it was about two of them. >> they have these sweet knowing glances. it is the quintessential look of a groom who sees his bride and sees her as the most beautiful woman in the room. no one else they'd rather about with. they wrote their own prayer as well, which talked a little about what they were hoping for as they start on this life together. that was part of the service. have you had much interaction with them since that interview just after the engagement? >> no, not a huge amount. we've texted a few times. they've had slightly more important things and people to do. >> the fact that you're texting with the prince. >> we see each other from time to time. but he's -- i should say i'm not his closest friend. he has a very tight knit group of close friends who will be in there tonight at a party which is organized by prince harry, which is a scary prospect. >> i heard that pippa has banned

all photography from the event. >> actually, the middletons have really conducted themselves, i think, with quite a lot of dignity, i would say. >> it must be hard to be in their shoes. >> it is hard. it is interesting with the newspapers. there's always a kind of -- people in newspapers are positive about it. but always looking for something being not quite right. and the middletons, a great temptation to say, well, you the family aren't doing this right and aren't doing that right. they've kept their silence. but they looked absolutely kind of comfortable today but in a really nice sort of low key way. they weren't showy or anything. i thought pippa looked great, beautiful, too. she had an amazing dress. here i am as your dress correspondent which probably isn't my natural habitat. >> you are a political editor but we appreciate you stopping by for the inside look.

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and there it is. question answered. the biggest mystery, england's best-kept secret, what will she wear? the answer a stunning lace gown created by sarah burton of alexander mcqueen. our royal bride from this morning. kate middleton did manage to keep it a secret. but now that we know all about the dress, who made it, let's dig a little deeper, shall we? david emmanuel is well known for creating princess diana's wedding gown. you had a fantastic reaction to it. you immediately loved it. >> oh, absolutely. no question. two words. serene, ultimately serene. and actually, as the performance unveiled, she looked terribly regal. i was just blown away. i couldn't believe.

she exuded this confidence. she got out of the car, right, looking ravishing. but she takes her time. she composes herself. waves. very royal. almost as if she's been born to be royal. unbelievable. i was just blown away. she went up in my expectation. i thought there might be a bit of jit wter with the nerves, absolutely not. this princess, as she now is, is definitely had a hand in the making of this gown. she and sarah worked very closely. she knows exactly what she wants. look, she's walking in like a royal princess now. the big shock i had here was seeing the matron of honor in white. >> i was going to ask you about that, in the states, that's something you would never do. by your reaction, that's something you wouldn't do here. >> no. every guest going to a wedding, any wedding, you never wear

white or you never wear cream. that's the bride. she's the star of the show. but the matron of honor in white and hollywood white? hello, body fitting, clinging in every shot. this was -- this is a major -- >> so is it a do or a don't in your book? did she pull it off. >> she looked lovely, but a no-no as far as i'm concerned. >> it is. >> she should have been in the most divine genteel color. i think it was wrong, inappropriate. >> do you think she had much of a choice in the matter? one would imagine that her sister, catherine, said here's what you'll be wearing here. >> we're talking about two very strong girls. this pippa girl knows what she's talking about here. catherine pulled it off. statement, loved the cartier tiara and the earrings, behaved impeccably. the other one is a hollywood starlet. look out, look out. >> well, then we'll bring you

back to talk about her perhaps again. pleasure to have you here. >> lovely to see you. >> david emanuel joining us now,

big day in london as prince william and kate middleton exchanged vows at westminster good morning. it is 8:25. time for news headlines. i'm frank mallicoat. today was the big day in london as prince william and kate middleton exchanged vows at an afternoon. the newly titled duke and duchess of cambridge shared the traditional royal kiss on the balcony on buckingham palace. and for the second thyme year, a medical marijuana dispense -- for the second time this year a medical marijuana dispensary caught fire. herb appeal was destroyed by the blaze that broke out around 3a the fire spread to a neighboring home displacing four people from that residence. nobody was injured. and later today, the space shuttle endeavour a little after noon will blast off for its final mission. it is the second-to-last space

shuttle launch before nasa retires the fleet. among the hundreds of thousands of spectators, gabrielle giffords the wounded arizona senator -- or congresswoman, rather, who is also the wife of shuttle commander mark kelly. traffic and weather around the bay area in just a moment. stay with us. the internet on a plane! are you from the future? um, no. cleveland. listen cleveland, your savings account is stuck in the past! earn more with interestplus savings at capitalone.com. that's new school banking baby! so instead of making peanuts, your savings will be earning three times the national average. oops. sorry. three times more? i'll have that! it is now safe to go online to capitalone.com. what's in your wallet? buh-bye...

good morning. there is a new accident just reported southbound 280 before avalon. traffic is kind of slow right there in that area. even a little bit past the accident scene. one lane is blocked. but hey, at the bay bridge, things are looking great. friday light traffic, high wind advisory in effect but minor delays right now approach the toll plaza. 880 through oakland, you can see how windy it is so cameras are rocking and rolling. and traffic just started to slow here in those northbound lanes in the last half hour or so. all right. that is your traffic. for an update on your weekend forecast, here's lawrence. >> elizabeth, looking for plenty of sunshine around the bay area, but the winds have been whipping around and this is the place where it's going to whip around the most at the coastline. looking clear, though, all the way inland. we have nice clear skies. this is going to stay that way through the weekend. but today the winds going to be the main concern. 50s at the coast, 60s elsewhere, over the weekend though, those winds going to switch directions becoming offshore and hey, that heats us up in the bay area. 70s and 80s going to be common.

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there it is. the kiss, the moment so many were waiting for. we're going to keep playing it over and over again. welcome back to "the early show." this wedding was a huge event across globe. plenty of americans getting up very early to watch or maybe just not going to bed at all. on the other side of the globe others did stay up to see it. we'll also take you to the town of bucklebury, kate's home town, the place where theed myton family lives to see how their friends and neighbors spent the morning. how they were celebrating.

this is "the evening standard," the afternoon paper here. there you can see it, the picture is there, sealed with a kiss. two kisses, as it were. i want to bring in nancy o'dell of "entertainment tonight" who is covering the royal wedding. we were looking through the pictures. what did you think of her dress? >> we loved it. we had a bird's-eye view right across westminster abbey. you saw the dress in full as she got out of the vehicle. it was amazing. looked gorgeous. it says a lot about her personality. very classy but not overdone. reminds you of some of the older gowns, as you saw, grace kelly. it was so graceful and poised. she appeared to have a tiny stumble, but handled everything with poise. she looked at her father and gave him a nice smile. the thing that i loved about

covering this is to see their personalities which is reflective of them as a couple. and see them greeting their guests and seeing harry talk to his uncle princess di's brother. >> it seemed like a normal wedding in many ways, didn't it? >> it really did. and watching the two of them come out here in front of the palace and william driving the car. that says a lot. i ran over here from being amongst the masses where i'm standing there because they moved over to clarence house. and they said that possibly william and harry were going to come out and greet as well as kate were possibly going to come out and greet. which i think that everybody believes that now. >> william did that last night. it was really important to me. he spent 15 to 20 minutes outside with harry. they said hello and thank you. in many ways it seems that they're approachable. >> it really does. hearing all the time they're spending with their friends and some of the celebrities that you think were up front were actually behind the screens.

even though they watched her walk down the aisle, they watched the ceremony on the plasma tv screens in the abbey as they brought a lot of their friends to the up-front portion of the abbey. >> how different is this for you? royalty, they're the first and the original celebrities, but yet the way they live their lives and what they do is so different from a lot of the celebrities that we know and tend to look to in the states. >> yeah, it is. they're the epitome of the celebrities, because even to celebrities they're celebrities. we talked to a lot of people on the various red carpets about the impending wedding. you hear them saying they're obsessed with what's going to take place and everybody wanting to watch and talking about getting up in the middle of the united states and watching. we know some of the celebrities are doing that. because i've been covering entertainment for so long, i don't get a lot of goosebumps over things now because we've done it. when those bells on the abbey

rang for the very first time signaling that this process was about to start, since we watched their engagement, i got goose bumps up and down my arms. >> it was hard not to get swept up in the moment of this. nice for people to do this. a joyous occasion. people need something to focus on. >> i'm glad that it went off so smoothly. seemed to go off without a hitch. nothing that disrupted the wedding. you heard different rumors of things that might happen. that was really nice to see. you'll see the excitement because we have cameras everywhere. you talk about covering celebrities and stuff, we've will the most resources that we've ever had in covering an event. >> was this event. >> this wedding, which you'll see them all tonight on "e.t." >> you have a huge special that you're gearing up for. you have all the angles covered. what will we see tonight? >> you'll hear about the fashion because her wedding gown was probably the most talked about thing and secret.

>> and the guests had interesting fashion choices as well. some great and maybe some not so great. >> you shake your head a bit. and you'll see that tonight on "e.t.." you see us as the crowd is reacting. one thing i did for the kiss is i wanted to be amongst the masses. we had our spot and we were down in the crowds. i may be crazy for wanting to do that, but the reaction on "e.t." they were all holding up

at this hour, the royals are having a little butt of a rest before their wedding lunch. that was, of course, hosted by the queen. happened right behind us here at buckingham palace. not too long ago we saw prince william drive his bride out of buckingham palace. he was driving a blue convertible.

but we wanted to learn more about what happened inside that reception thrown by the queen. claire jones is prince charles' official harpist. there's a look at the couple leaving. claire played today for the couple's lunch. i met you about a month ago when we were here gearing up for the wedding. you were very excited at that point. >> absolutely. >> what was it like today to play for this reception? >> the most sensational thing i've ever done in my whole entire life. i've got to say, i've played on so many occasions for the royal family, obviously, and over 150 times, but this was absolutely the pinnacle. my performance lasted a couple of hours where i was in the green drawing room performing for the guests, and the individual members of the royal family would come through and they'd listen and they'd actually talk to me. so i think i spoke to every single member. >> what did they say to you? >> they were so sweet. prince harry for my performance and my time and very exciting

performance at the end following the speeches. the young couple came up and i was so thrilled to see them and catherine just looked absolutely beautiful. up close, that material. the actual dress was fantastic. and she was so complimentary. i was so surprised. and they were so lovely and thankful to me for performing. of course, i reiterated how sincerely thankful and heartfelt it was that i got the play today. it was a massive opportunity for me to perform for them and sich a heartfelt gesture to ask me, really. >> you played on -- there's a royal harp that you play on and that's the instrument you played today. >> yes. the royal harp. that's a very special one. it's still back in buckingham palace right now. but the small little flower girls got a chance to actually see the harp up close. they came up on stage. >> did you give them a lesson? did they want to learn how to play? >> well -- >> not quite. >> it was nice that this they got to see it up close.

>> anything specific for the couple? >> i did have a list a few weeks ago as to exactly what they wanted me to play and perform. they were my solos on my harp albums that i recorded. it is great to know what their taste is like and ha they really enjoy. i perform those for them today. and that was wonderful. and so i'm looking forward to telling everyone about it. >> we're happy to have you here to tell us about it. when they came up and spoke to you, as did every member of the royal family, what did catherine and william seem like as they're going through their wedding day? >> just incredibly sweet, just incredibly sweet. and especially catherine cool, calm and collected. i really do think that today has been such a wonderful day for them. they really have presented themselves in such a manner that it's wonderful to cope with all the pressure.

>> they both seemed very comfortable. she seemed a tiny bit more comfortable than he did. did they seem hurried at all during the reception, rushed around to say hellos? >> not at all. they took their time. they spent type to talk to me and prince charles, my boss, as it were, and the duchess, of course, and prince edward. all the members did stay with me a bit to talk to me. nothing was hurried, especially for the couple pis wa expecting there would be quite a sort of flow of people going through and they'd have to move on. but no, they made time for me. that was really, really sincere to me. >> did you get to have any cake. >> did get to see the cake, of course. fantastic. really fantastic stuff, but yes. >> claire, such a treat to have you here. a wonderful day for you. thank you for taking the time to share. for more than four months, literally, billions of people around the world have been waiting for this day.

cbs news correspondent bill whitaker takes a look at what it was like for them to finally see it. >> reporter: they filled the parks and lined the streets of london for a chance to catch a glimpse at the royal couple, but you didn't have to be in england to share the exuberance. in new york's times square where people usually come to ring in the new year, thousands gathered to watch william and kate on a giant video screen. and at a british pub in los angeles they celebrated. >> pajamas and tiaras. >> reporter: we're here in hollywood and hollywood knows a thing or two about spinning dreams or fantasies, but the consensus is nobody does it better than when the british royals put on a royal wedding. >> a once in a life time opportunity. i remember my mother telling me where she was when diana got married. it really stayed with her the rest of her life.

i wouldn't miss it for the world. >> reporter: the last royal wedding spectacle when prince charles and diana married 30 years ago was seen by 750 million viewers worldwide. today's wedding is expected to far exceed that, with as many as 2 billion people watching on television and the internet. >> it is a big deal. i'd love to be in england, but this is the next best thing. i'm really thrilled to be here. >> reporter: unless your name was beckham or john and you happened to be among the 1900 invited to westminster abbey to see the wedding in person, parties like this were the only way for some to capture the festive spirit of the big event. and they held them from dubai to tulsa and just where everywhere in between, even celebrating from above the planet. >> from space, the expedition 27 crew of the international space station would like to offer their congratulations and best wishes. >> reporter: as billions did around the globe. and they weren't disappointed as the world reveled in a fairy

tale moment. >> we want to take you to bucklebury, england, a town just west of london where the family lived. she watched the wedding with some of the bride's friends and neighbors. they're still celebrating at this moment, rachel. >> reporter: yes. as you can imagine, there have been plenty of pomp and ceremony in westminster. but here in bucklebury just 50 miles west of london but in many ways far away and deep in the london countryside. they've had ferret racing, morris dancing and, as you can imagine, plenty of cake and gin and tonic. prince william if not for royal protocol would quite happily have gotten married in the local church here. in his honor, the bell ringers created a special peal. and they'ving ringing it out for

the last 2 1/2 hour. probably drowned out by the band behind me. a great day of festivities. 2,500 people here. for a good old british knees up. >> like being in a sauna. >> rachel, now that kate is catherine, i should say and officially a princess and indeed a duchess. do you expect you'll see much more of her, the folks in bucklebury expecting her to come home as often? >> reporter: i think they are. i mean, they really were plenty of misty eyes here, as you can expect. she was a normal girl, she had a very normal childhood here in the depths of english countryside. the company have been very regular visitors. her parns' house is just around the corner from here. they spent easter enjoying some privacy in the countryside. and not surprisingly invited the landlord, the butcher atlantic

postman to the wedding. they think they'll be back. they guard their privacy very closely here, the locals. they hope to see more of them. >> i'm sure they'll be waiting for that first visit. thanks again for joining us. the wedding was not technically a state occasion, diplomats from around the world were invited including the highest ranking american official who was at the wedding. we're lucky enough to have you here this morning. ambassador, good to have you here. what was it like? >> well, it was stunning. you walked in, the abbey was gorgeous, the trees, the pageantry, the people all dressed in their finest. i think it was not only a tribute to the monarchy and how it was held, but a tribute to the prince and princess because it was very warm. >> it seemed almost like it truly was a family wedding. >> it truly did. i remarked among my fellow ambassadors, we all felt the same way.

>> was there much chitchatting going on before the ceremony? did you hear many people, especially not the stereotype but a lot of the women around you, did you hear them talking about what would she wear and watching as she came down the aisle? or was it quiet? >> it was quiet. we had a few things on our minds that we might have discussed, but it was an event which caught everyone's attention. >> what do you think it is about this couple that seep seems to caught the world's attention and have changed people's minds about the monarchy? >> they've conducted themselves so incredibly well that even if people wanted to find fault, they couldn't. prince william, i truly bleelie, has all the best of his parents. sense of duty but sense of warmth. catherine middleton, now princess catherine, had a maturity and steadiness that

people realized she's going to be a great wife to the prince and to the monarchy. >> this has really ignited just a surge of national pride here in the uk. it has been incredible to be out in the streets and there's such electricity. how important is that given the state of the economy, not only here but around the world? >> i think everybody needed a day where you just smiled. i just saw nothing but smiles everywhere i went. and with the problems in the middle east or whether it's afghanistan or the tornadoes in alabama or japan, i think the world just sat back and basked in the warmth and the glory of this day. i know i did. from what i've heard, most americans here back home felt the same way. >> we can see you smiling as you relive it. such a treat to have you with us. >> it's an honor. good luck to all you do. >> live from london here on "the early show." ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

before we go, we do want to bring back victoria arbiter who has been with us every step of the way. what a day. >> i can't believe we're actually at the end of this day, not at thend of our coverage. such a privilege to cover this with you. we've learned so much along the way and the access we've had has been extraordinary. i couldn't have wished for a better day today. i'm excited to see what's in store for these two. >> i'm excited to see what they do next. you've given us incredible insight not just for today but for everything you've done over the last few months. not that we're done yet. our coverage on cbs continues throughout the day. there's the "cbs evening news" with katie couric tonight. then also tonight a special look at the royal couple coming up at

8:00. it's called royal wedding modern majesty. our coverage continues again tomorrow morning right here on "the early show" saturday. we hope you can join us for that. plenty of pictures to check out at earlyshow.cbsnews.com. it has been a privilege to be with you from london this week. stay with us. ♪

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headlines... this morning prince william and kate middleton exchanged their wedding vows and good morning, everybody. it's 8:55. this morning, prince william and kate middleton exchanged their wedding vows at westminster abbey. the newlyweds paraded through the streets of london to cheering crowds before sharing the traditional royal kiss. it was a quick one on the balcony at buckingham palace. and some key pg&e documents have been written in erasable ink. the puc is investigating the utility's recordkeeping practices now. the "chronicle" reports that in 2007, the puc questioned pg&e's use of erasable ink, then pg&e ordered employees to use only non-erasable ink on maintenance and operation records. and part of charlie sheen's visit to the bay area over the weekend will benefit injured

giants fan bryan stow. the actor is performing his one man show tomorrow at san francisco's masonic auditorium. profits from sheen's merchandise will go to stow, who is still hospitalized in l.a. a month after being attacked outside the giants and dodgers season opener. traffic and weather coming right up. stay with us. ,,,,,,,,,,,,

good morning. we are going out to oakland one of our slow spots right now. a lot of congestion coming up the northbound lanes of 880 as you pass the coliseum all the way into downtown. latest, if you are heading south, southbound 880 around thornton word of this accident, one lane is blocked. so it's a little sluggish as you make your way past highway 84. the bay bridge has been our bright spot. it was busy earlier but then traffic cleared up around 7:30, 8:00. and it's been looking like this for the last hour or so. you can see that only backed up to about mid lot. metering lights are on. we also have a high wind advisory in effect. here's lawrence. >> we have a lot of sunshine around the bay area today, folks. looks like it's going to be a beautiful day as far as sun is concerned but the winds kicking up will be the big concern again. blustery winds especially at the coast. going to keep temperatures in the 50s and 60s but this weekend is going to be something else.

70s even some 80s as we head into sunday. ,, ,,,,,,