the pictures and what we're seeing here in piner are devastating. three people in piner alone were killed last night. i spoke with an official. he tells me that as of right now, everyone is accounted for. no one is missing. but, of course, as the sun is rising this morning, he says that could all change. now that same official tells me, in his 25 years of work, he has seen nothing like this. it's the worst damage he's ever seen. he compared it to a war zone. the tornadoes came barreling through this part of kentucky. [ sirens blaring ] leaving a wake of destruction in the path. tearing roofs off homes, breaking windows, blowing the side of this house completely off. those who survived are considering themselves lucky. >> he was inside the house. we thought we would go to the basement. we seen it on tv. we got to the basement. stepped out on the patio. but just within seconds, we just barely made it into the cistern. >> reporter: it's western kentucky's deadliest outbreak of tornados in the last 40 years. the damage is everywhere. trees and power lin

piner job was be my home and i'll never leave i leave for a little bit but i have to come back. right . through and take these. these sound which is the way they ones that didn't sell for the morning are still for the study mother the of them. so we can feed the people feed a few people and. i guess christmas is. going to give my. all right. so. i get a lot. of the. breakfast burrito right sausage water right but. i'm proud here's the point of white clay. anyone tell me or know her operator know her for a cane years should not. hold our youth. thirty one years old. came in your thirty's i was sure and wired i wish there was no came up we're. not very into their page and then her pulled. her pulled here. but are still here. because should be only please she could go you know what. those guys are all the first member to. actually called the rule people. because its owner as. you know and how we were kids. we could nor you. but appear we help each other. there's a lot of farm children. i know. very few board for. or tried to. close out all of. our very very treatment cards heard. n

. >>> this comes from news 5 in cincinnati where in nearby piner, kentucky, a family's moment of joyaved them from the horror of last week's deadly tornadoes. they had left for the hospital where the expected mom gave birth to a baby boy. because of that, they were not home when a twister ripped through their neighborhood destroying their house. while the family has lost nearly everything, they called the birth, quote, god's perfect timing. can you imagine? had they been home at the time. that home was completely leveled. crediting their survival with the birth of their baby boy. two blessings. >> doesn't get any better than that. makes the loss a lot easier to stomach. >> it does. good luck to them. i'm lynn berry. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. >>> after putting off tours for weeks, a scottish teen is actually being rewarded rather than punished. finally tidying up, the teenager discovered a lottery ticket worth almost $80,000. while rummaging through the piles, he actually almost threw the ticket away. grateful for his mother's na

angela praisewater was giving birth on friday when those tornado sigh represents went off in piner, kentuckythe hospital where she was delivering was evacuated, with the exception of praisewater and one other person giving birth at the time. the delivery went fine but the couple found out the tornado destroyed their home. >> he had him come on that day just to save us. >> they have given me so much love, my family, that it's more overwhelming than the devastation. >> the baby's grandmother says she is the most blessed woman on earth because she has a new grand child and both her children. >>> let's get another look at our forecast and what's heading our way. doug? >> looking good the next day or so and then changes. 66 out there, winds gusty upwards of 30 miles an hour across the region, it is going to be fairly breezy if not windy you step out this evening, you may need the jacket, once again, those are warm winds, a few clouds trying to stream in across the area, sun goes down the next 10 to 15 minutes, make our way outside. high temperatures, 68, morgan town, west virginia, 68, richmond,

. >> that man describing what he went through in piner, kentucky and we're hearing similar stories fromll over the south and the midwest. rescue crews still searching for possible survivors as we speak. >> clayton: right now we want to take you to henriville, indiana one of the hardest areas. and that's where we find rick reichmuth. and numbers and wind we've been able to get out of henryville, right? >> and the national weather service determined that the tornado here was an f-4 the same size that hit harrisburg, illinois a few days ago and straight to the tornado that hit tuscaloosa, alabama last year and put that into perspective and they still have more work to do on the investigation. one thing that made it difficult for them, two tornados struck exactly in the spot about ten minutes apart. and this town, along with other communities and homes and farms and such all through here, hit twice in a row and certainly made it a very difficult challenge and caused daniel to be search greater as well and tell you, also, it's very cold and there's snow in the forecast and a little bit of ra