alex perez is there and on the line with us. long ago. fairdale, the town we're told not a single structure was spared some type of damage. >> reporter: we're told there are 50 structures in town here, a small town, 150 people the population here. authorities say they believe every structure in town was touched by the storm in some way. that there's damage to every structure here. the storm rolled in after 7:00 tonight and jumped around a 50-mile stretch of the area creating this damage. right now it's the middle of the night. complete darkness. so getting an accurate assessment of how severe everything was is not going to happen until daytime. as you might imagine, everyone here is concerned because it does not look good. >> do we know anything about fatalities at this point, alex? >> reporter: at this point, we know there's at least one confirmed fatality. we know authorities are still trying to go in some areas door to door to assess the situation and make sure there's no one trapped in those homes that have been damaged. at t

abc's alex perez is there. >> the devastation here is amazing to see how quickly this happened. tornado, a big storm moved through here 7:15 thursday night and created all of this damage. they say -- they believe it sporadically hopped and jumped around a 50-mile stretch of the area creating a lot of damage particularly here in fairdale. >> reporter: rescuers now eager for daylight to help. >> with daylight hours to get a better accountability of all the residents that live there and make sure that any potential rescues that still need to be made are, in fact made. >> oh my gosh. that's going right through. >> reporter: the devastating twister captured on cell phone video as it moved through the area thursday evening. residents rushing to safety. >> got in and got my family in the basement. as i watched it go behind it was massive. >> reporter: a close call in rochelle. 12 people surviving in the basement of this restaurant as the tornado passed right by. >> we pulled in here and ran inside. the owner said in the basement went down in the basement. >> reporter: the powerful stor

alex perez, abc news, chicago. >> alex thank you. >>> and now to boston tonight. marking two years since those deadly bombings. the youngest victim 8-year-old martin richard. tonight, his family marching. his sister jane there who lost a leg, wearing her cowboy boots, we noticed, and that new prosthetic leg. the family unveiling yellow banners where the bombs went off. >>> there is still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this wednesday. that national case. the billion nail's wife versus the alleged mistress. former nba owner donald sterling's wife and the so-called other woman receiving millions of dollars in gifts. tonight, the judge deciding who gets to keep what and who has to give what back. >>> also tonight, the famous actor, his on-set meltdown viewed by millions. tonight, the real story revealed. >>> and, america strong this evening. the first ever girl quinn step lets born in the u.s. and you're about to meet them right here. and their exhausted parents. who will tell you how it's going so far. dad can't even tell you what day it is. making a fist so

alex perez, thank you. >>> abc's senior meteorologist rob marciano joins us now. rob, that storm alex was talking about moved away but left wild wind in its place. >> yeah, strong winds especially across the northeast today, cecilia. take a look at some of these numbers. outside of boston, over 50-mile-an-hour gusts. but all the way to d.c., 45-mile-an-hour gusts. jfk and new york, 47. even some snow, up to half foot of snow in northern maine. unrelated to this is this cool picture taken near the naval avenue station near key west, florida. a little waterspout. didn't do any damage but certainly a bit of a treat on this holiday weekend, i suppose. >> that holiday weekend. a lot of easter egg hunts in store. what's up for easter? >> well, first off we got a pattern change across the pacific northwest so that will bring rain not only there but down into parts of california. they'll take it. they'll need it. and through the holiday weekend, or the rest of, it i should say through easter showers expected through parts of texas. 73 in denver and 72 in charleston. the w

>> alex perez in pittsburgh for us. alex thank you. >>> around the world tonight, and to the growing concern in iraq. ramadi on the brink of falling to isis. three neighboring villages now captured. thousands of families escaping. some with only the clothes on their backs. u.s.-led air strikes today trying to slow their advance on the city. >>> back here at home and to a stunning image tonight from dallas. the hit band lady antebellum traveling down interstate 30 on their way to the country muse you can awards when their tour bus bursts into flames. tonight, a burned-out shell after a tire blew out. this evening, they reveal they had to get out quickly, and here's abc's kendis gibson. >> reporter: they're known for burning up the stage, but today it was lady antebellum's tour bus burning up this highway. hillary scott asleep in this tour bus with three others near dallas when one of the tires catches fire captured in this tmz exclusive video. >> if this thing blows up i'm going to freak out. >> reporter: scott posting t

alex perez tonight. >>> there is still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this monday. the vacation horror for one american family. poisoned by an invisible menace. tonight, their two boys are in critical condition. the culprit that made them so sick coming up here. >>> also the major american company about to offer a free college education to its workers, breaking the news here tonight. they expect to send 25,000 people to college. >>> and then look at this tonight. the terrifying moment on the highway. an rv erupting into flames and the good samaritans there to rescue a mother and daughter from the back of the rv. i accept that i'm not 21. i accept i'm not the sprinter i was back in college. i even accept that i live with a higher risk of stroke due to afib, a type of irregular heartbeat, not caused by a heart valve problem. but i won't accept giving it less than my best. so if i can go for something better than warfarin ...i will. eliquis. eliquis... reduced the risk of stroke better than warfarin plus it had less major bleeding than warfarin... eliquis had both. tha

abc's alex perez there for us. just filed this report. >> reporter: authorities believe most of the homes in fairdale, illinois, look like this structure, completely destroyed. authorities confirm at least one tornado tore through this stretch of north central illinois about 7:15 thursday night. the twister hopping and skipping through a 50-mile area. at this point we know at least one person confirmed dead. seven others injured. at a restaurant in rochelle, illinois crews had to rescue 12 people trapped after the building completely collapsed. authorities have been working through the night and officials say they won't have a solid idea of just how severe the damage is here until later today. t.j., reena. >> our thanks to alex. much more ahead on "good morning america." >>> meanwhile, in ohio a university of dayton senior is in critical but stable condition after being struck by lightning. students and faculty held a vigil for shawn ferguson last night. the lightning strike happened at a campus parking lot. one ey

. >> alex perez brings us the story. >> reporter: a ham sandwich. an apple.h a side of bacteria? your child's lunch box may have more in it than the food including some yucky germs. so with the help of a fifth grade class at a philadelphia school, gma investigates how germy is your child's lunch box. how many of you don't know when you clean your lunch box? just about everybody. >> my dog knocks my lunch box on the floor and he licks inside it. >> reporter: how many times have you wash it? >> my mom washes it every week. >> reporter: still, the teacher encourages the kids to keep their hands clean. >> we have hand sanitizer machines the children can access. >> reporter: we swab 24 lunch boxes to see what bacteria could be growing. we sent them off with a micro biologist in new york. >> i was shocked of how wrong i was. >> reporter: every lunch box we test was growing a bacteria inside and outside. most of the lunch boxes carried bascillus. >> it is not unexpected to find it outside of fruits. >> reporter: some included some really nasty bacteria. four had sta

♪ >> it was a night of incredible water rescues after torrential rain triggered flash flooding, alex perezight 30 million americans are dealing with a deadly string of storms. tornado warning sirens sounding the alarm as hail and torrential rain and winds up to 68 miles per hour battered tennessee causing power outages in thousands of homes and hail in georgia. in kentucky friday roads collapsing as rushing waters tear through neighborhoods. one woman dead after flood waters swept her car off the road. rescuers using inflatable raft to pull students and driver from the submerged school bus. the heavy rain is stranding drivers and trapping people in their homes. abc louisville brook harsh capturing the rescues live. >> reporter: these are firefighter rests -- rescuing 135 people. >>> overnight in alabama up to five strikes hitting every minute. lighting up the skies. as they begin drying out in louisville there is good news sunshine is in the forecast for the weekend. alex perez abc news, louisville, kentucky. >> unbelievable. >> reporter: we were talking about this earlier we have not seen

alex perez is in indianapolis with the highlights and a look ahead. morning alex. >> reporter: good morning, paula. everyone talking about the upset. everyone thinking about the wisconsin nail-biter. you could hear the hearts of kentucky wildcats fans shattering. >> 20-point, blue devil victory! >> on, wisconsin, to the championship game. >> reporter: this morning, wisconsin and duke are prepping for the biggest game of the year. monday's ncaa championship game. the first time since 2008, two number one seeds will go head to head. >> the championship. >> a backhand by okafor. >> reporter: duke dismantling underdog michigan state. dunking their way to the title game. not even the support of magic johnson could help the spartans and stop duke's all-american jahlil okafor and the blue devils from running away with a 20-point victory. >> okafor. and a foul! >> reporter: unlike that landslide, to the historic game of the night. the pursuit of perfection on the hardwood. wisconsin fighting tooth and nail to end kentucky's undefeated season. >> slams it down

alex perez has the story. >> reporter: a season of hard work coming down to this moment.uke the blue devils tearing michigan state to shreds with a landslide 20-point victory. today, gearing up for the big game. what's the big concern now? >> no concerns. we just know we're playing against a really good basketball team tomorrow night. >> reporter: and the nail biter, the defeat of kentucky. the badgers' frank kaminski scoring 20 points. >> it's going to be a good matchup, to be the best you have to beat the best. >> reporter: but a story bigger than basketball. chris and scott, an unlikely pair, reunited this weekend. a father of four suffering from leukemia got a donation. >> just the emotions. he saved my life. >> reporter: they say they consider each other family and text each other all the time. both look forward to the big championship game tomorrow night at the stadium. >>> still ahead how a family ends up in critical condition while on vacation. we'll be right back. i love making sunday dinners. but when my back hurt, cooking all day... forget about it. tylenol was

. >>> and we want to get straight to alex perez, with a stunning portrait of the destruction. alex? reporter: david, we saw the damage from the air today, authorities confirming it was an ef-4 tornado that passed through here, packing incredible 0 mile per hour winds. the massive twister mincing everything in its path as it crushed the small town of fairdale, illinois, to rubble. >> we saw it coming from this direction from a distance. and as it got closer, it seemed like it was getting bigger. >> reporter: jill pierce today trying to pick up the pieces, her home barely standing. >> we got in the storm shelter, and i was just crying. i could hear the house ripping apart. things were falling and crashing. >> reporter: in fairdale, population less than 200, nearly every home damaged. many flattened. bits and pieces of peoples' everyday lives scattered everywhere. this google earth image shows the town before the tornado. this is what it looks like now, unrecognizable. with help from our affiliate wls, we got a bird's-eye view of the chaos. one of the things we immediately notice from

let's check in with alex perez now. >> reporter: officials say a gas grill explosion just days ago ind a girl and caused a fire in this country club community. the girl's condition unknown, but the danger is clear. you can see from this video on youtube how dangerous propane grills can be if not used carefully, something grill makers warn about. >> those who support the league demand the same. >> espn anchor hannah storm suffered severe burns on her face, chest and hands after trying to light her grill. >> a huge fireball exploded. all of this was burning on fire here. >> reporter: to show you how to protect your family, we teamed up with underwriters is laboratories. first stop, gas or propane grills. >> this could be a big hazard. >> it could be if you don't do things right. >> reporter: first tip, always check hoses for gas leaks. put a mixture of soap and water on the area where the hose connects to the valve. >> there's a bubble forming here. >> that means there's a leaking >> always keep the lid open when lighting the grill. for this demonstration we intentionally closed the lid

alex perez is in louisville, kentucky, one of the worst hit spots with the very latest. orter: hey, good morning, paula. they got more than 5 inches of rain here in a 24-hour period and this creating big problems across the midsouth. overnight more than 30 million americans dealing with a deadly string of storms. [ sirens ] tornado warning sirens sounding the alarms as hail, torrential rains and wind up to 68 miles per hour battered tennessee causing power outages in thousands of homes and reports of hail in georgia. in kentucky friday, roads collapsing as rushing waters tear through neighborhoods. one woman dead after floodwaters swept her car off the road. rescuers using inflatable rafts to pull students and a driver from their submerged school bus. across the state, the heavy rains stranding drivers and trapping people in their homes. abc louisville's brooke hash capturing some of the rescues live. >> this is what we've been seeing all morning long. these are firefighters rescuing more than 135 people at this point. >> reporter: this morning, firefighters still battlin

reporter: abc's alex perez was there. >> most of the 50 homes here in the small town of fairdale illinois look just like this structure. completely destroyed. reporter: in nearby rochelle illinois the sheriff continues to lead search efforts. >> around 30 homes have been either completely destroyed or uninhabitable. reporter: even as the destruction hit home. >> my house is gone. reporter: through the evening, tornadoes popping up across illinois, iowa and ohio. >> oh, my god! this is violent! you guys it's right there. right there. >> oh, my gosh! >> look at it there goes cars. i saw headlights go flying. >> my god, we need to see if anybody is all right. we need to go. reporter: amidst the destruction, the victims are trying to rebuild their lives, salvaging what they can from the debris. lona zack, abc news, new york. autria: also making headlines around the nation, president obama and cuban president raul castro are expected to come face to face in panama since they restored ties. they don't have a formal meeting scheduled. most likely they will cross paths and maybe possibly shake ha

. >> abc's alex perez was there. >> reporter: most of the 50 homes here in the town of fairdale look like this structure completely destroyed. >> the sheriff continues to head up search efforts even as the storm his home. >> my house is gone. >> torns are popping up in illinois iowa and ohio. >> oh my god. this is violent. you guys it's right there, right there. oh my gosh. look there goes cars, i saw headlights go flying, we need to go and see if everybody is lrtd. the destruction was really truly terrible today the survivors are trying to salvage what they can and find the pieces of their lives in all of this debris. live in new york, lana zach, channel 6 "action news." >> thank you. >>> an overturned tractor trailer caused major problems for the drivers on the ben franklin bridge this morning, the semi tipped over on to its side at 5:00 a.m. snarling traffic heading into philadelphia for the evening rush and the action cam was there as the crews uprighted the truck and hours later the bridge is now clear. a driver lost control along kelly drive at boathouse row and the car ended u

but first, alex perez in kentucky. >> reporter: tonight, louisville, kentucky, pounded by furious thunderstorms and rushing flood waters. some areas inundated with up to seven inches of rain in the last 24 hours. >> they're sending people to rescue folks. >> reporter: dramatic rescues beginning before dawn. as the flood waters rush in, ronald coleman and 135 other residents at this louisville apartment complex rushed to safety, grabbing what they could. >> we got our things. they put us in a boat and got us where we wouldn't be under the water. >> reporter: 16 students had to be rescued in dry ridge, kentucky, after their bus also got cut off by flood waters. at least two people in the state missing after getting swept away. and more rain on the way. on i-71 outside louisville, this truck stuck in the median. >> so that is what is causing the delay. >> reporter: along with the record rain, ten reports of tornados across the mid-south overnight. sirens blaring in joplin, missouri. in oklahoma -- >> i think i'm in the tornado, or pretty darn close to it. >> reporter: roofs ripped off near afton.

alex perez was at the game last night in indianapolis and alex, good morning. >> hey, t.j. and reena, an exciting night in indianapolis. this game turing out exactly as predicted. a complete nail-biter. but in the end duke walking away with the championship now, both duke and wisconsin fighting it out point for point during that first half. they were tied at 31 come halftime. the second half of this game dramatic. wisconsin at one point leading by seven. but it was in those last few minutes of the game where duke rose to the occasion. two duke freshmen. grayson allen and tyus jones stepping up sealing the deal for duke. >> as soon as i stepped on campus you could feel the family atmosphere and it was just always positive energy. everyone caring for one another and could you tell this year would be special. >> reporter: that young freshman tyus jones winning most outstanding player of the game. this now the fifth national title for duke. t.j. reena. >> alex thank you very much. the blue deafs really like going to indianapolis. mike krzyzewski cutting down the net as you can

here's alex perez. >> reporter: within seconds, this high school musical grand finale went from celebration to chaos. the stage collapsing beneath dozens of westfield, indiana, high school students thursday night, sending them plunging into the empty orchestra pit 12 feet below. all, as parents and audience members watched in horror. take a closer look from another angle. all happening so quickly. the lead singer, nicole gruszka, didn't even realize what was happening behind her. telling george on kbrks m "gma" -- >> and then you just hear a huge crash, and you know something is wrong. >> reporter: first responders quickly arriving on the scene. >> i've got seven ambulances en route right now, approximately 50 to 60 people trapped. >> reporter: authorities today trying to figure out what went wrong. 16 students hospitalized, no life-threatening injuries. most with sprains and bruises. >> i think it's only by the grace of god that there weren't more serious injuries. >> reporter: sophomore desi hoffman says she momentarily blacked out after tumbling into the pit. watching it, it seems fright

alex perez has the story. >> reporter: a season of hard work, coming down to this moment.nsin and duke, now prepping for the biggest game of the year. the blue devils tearing michigan state to shreds with a landslide 20-point victory. today, gearing up for the big game. what's the big concern now? >> no concerns. we just know we're playing against a really good basketball team tomorrow night. >> reporter: and the nailbiter wisconsin win over undefeated kentucky. the wildcats' dream of a perfect season, shattered. the badgers' frank kaminski scoring 20 points. >> it's going to be a good matchup, to be the best, you have to beat the best. >> reporter: but out in the stands, a story bigger than basketball in the stands. chris and scott, an unlikely pair, reunited this weekend. a father of four, suffering from leukemia, got a life-saving bone marrow donation from a student studying at uw.uf1q little did thigh know they'd be back together courtside this weekend. scott, now in remission. >> just the emotions. he saved my life. >> reporter: they say they consider each other fami

here's alex perez on the hundreds pitching in for the clean-up. >> reporter: tonight, new images of that killer twister the dark clouds of disaster, swirling. drivers taking cover under an overpass. we now know the ef-4 tornado carved a path of destruction more than 28 miles long thursday night. devastating rochelle illinois and nearly wiping away the small town of fairdale authorities say all 50 homes here damaged, many leveled. 2 killed, more than 20 injured. some homeowners, just now returning those who didn't lose everything left with a shell of home. >> huge tornado. near rockford. >> reporter: these frightening images of the storm shot by will white. >> huge tornado, near rockford. >> reporter: the storm chaser now helping homeowners pick up the pieces. >> when we first got here, i couldn't believe what i saw. one second everything's normal, the next second a tornado rips through and their lives are completely changed. >> reporter: possible debris from the tornado now spotted more than 100 miles away in racine wisconsin. matt finding a check with the address next to his home friday

alex perez is there for us. let's go to him. >> reporter: hey, good morning, george. that tornado tore right through fairdale. now i want to step out of the way. take a look at the scene behind me. there are huge piles of debris just like this all across town and if you look closely you'll see not one but actually two cars underneath that mess there. now, this is a small town population only about 200 and there are only about 50 homes here but authorities say that tornado, that storm damaged every single home in town as gio said there at least one dead and seven reported injured. now, authorities say it will be some time it will take daylight to begin to assess the damage ear and really find out just how bad this situation is here. george. >> a lot of cleanup to go. thanks very much. >>> back to ginger right now. what's coming next? >> you could hear gio and alex say how cold it was so behind that front it is very cold and windy but what i want to show you ahead of the front more severe storms possible today. so afternoon and evening is the timing. look from virginia

abc's alex perez from indianapolis. >> reporter: tonight, investigators in central illinois trying to piece together what caused this cessna twin engine plane to crash early this morning, killing all seven on board. the group -- all returning from the ncaa championship game late last night. >> attention all bloomington traffic. attention all bloomington traffic, crash. >> reporter: among the passengers two members of illinois state university's athletic department including associate men's basketball coach torrey ward. also on board, a local bar owner, terry strawlal. today, long-time customers and patrons gathered as friends and family remember them. around midnight the plane left the indianapolis airport. an hour later, radar contact was lost. >> there's radar and radio communication until the aircraft touches down. in this instance the pilot did not cancel his flight plan. >> reporter: the aircraft crashing into a field in dense fog, just outside bloomington, illinois. the front end of the plane, completely destroyed. david, their plane crashing just two miles from the airport. fed

alex perez, abc news chicagoing >> coming up making a fashion statement.how one woman saved herself time and plenty of headaches by giving herself a uniform. >> wears the same outfit to work every single day. now she spends less than a minute getting ready. >> you're watching "world news now." >>> it's one of the aub perks related to wearing uniforms to work is that it requires a lot less time to pick out what you're going to work. >> unless you have a wardrobe like t.j. holmes. >> what does that mean? >> i wear the same suit. >> you have like 22 different suits. >> i've got two suits. you don't pay attention to me they're. >> it takes a lot of time to look fresh like t.j. holmes. one woman decided to wear the same thing to work every day for three years. paula faris has her story. >> reporter: when it comes to office attire do you channel your inner fashionista like meryl streep in the wears prada" or go for a more tailored look like kerry washington in "scandal"? what if you could style your own uniform for work. that's what matilda call does an art dire

alex perez has the latest. >> investigators in central illinois trying to piece together what causedne plane to crash, killing all seven on board. the group all returning from the ncaa championship game. >> attention all bloomington traffic. >> reporter: among the passengers two members of the athletic department including associate men's basketball coach torrey ward and local bar owner, long time commerce and patrons gathered as family and friends remember them. around midnight the plane lift the indianapolis airport. an hour later, radar contact was lost. >> radar and radio communication until the aircraft touches down. in this instance the pilot did not cancel his flight plan. >> reporter: the aircraft crashing in to a in dense fog outside of bloomington, illinois. the front end of the plane destroyed. the plane crashed two miles from the airport. federal investigators are combing through the wreckage trying to figure out what went wrong. alex perez, abc news indianapolis. >>> a former nfl kicker who helped his team win two super bowls is suing the tampa bay buccaneers for $20 mil