jim cantore, nbc news, tuscaloosa, alabama. >> i'm tom in tuscaloosa, alabama. the massive tornado a mile wide tore through here as a busy time, as people came home from work and students from school. >> this was monster. >> tuscaloosa is home to the university of alabama. 95,000 people live here. 30,000 at the university alone. >> words can't even describe the feeling you go through when you open the door. and just everything is just a disaster. >> reporter: 36 are confirmed dead. among them, three students from the college. all friends of jesse strickland. >> this is my friend scott. >> their house ripped right off its slab. today, she sifted through the rubble, finding her friend scott's shirt. >> there's nothing you can say, nothing that's going to fix this or make it better or bring them back. >> reporter: across the street, 22-year-old angela smith says she's lucky she can retrieve what's left of her home. she hid in the closet with her dog when the tornado hit. >> were you praying and what were you praying for? >> i was praying. i said, dear lord, please

>>> back now from tuscaloosa, alabama. some more of the staggering numbers we have been telling you about. in the month of april, a record 453 tornadoes have been confirmed. this not counting wednesday's line of massive storms. and when they tally those up, that will be larger, and remember, may is usually worse than april. our friend, weather channel meteorologist jim cantore, who has been here covering this, has been kind enough to join us. you and i were talking earlier. is it fair to say, at the center of this storm, at the center of hurricanes like katrina, it's the most energy mother nature can produce on the planet? >> i think it is. when you look at the biggest tornadoes out there, the ef-4s and ef-5s, winds upwards of 200 miles an hour, which we feel this is, we're talking rare kinds of numbers. that makes up .4% of all the tornadoes. we have about 1,300 a year. >> you get stopped everywhere you go every day on the subject of weather, and i sometimes do, and wherever you go, whenever you hear people talking, you k

you're looking at tuscaloosa. when we put this in play, this is the radar from the past, overnight tonight. this thing travels on the ground from birmingham to georgia here. this is about 173 miles of travel on that. 218 miles on the ground, the longest-running tornado ever in history, in 1925. this storm had a hook echo all the way to north carolina. we may now have the longest running tornado on the ground in american history. george? >> sam, thanks very much. >>> i'm joined by sharyn alfonsi right now. we've seen some of the pictures at the top of the program. sharyn, but as we see in so many of these crises, home video that really gives a feel for what was happening on the ground. >> we've been covering all of that video. it's unbelievable, the sights and the sounds, not just from storm chases. but people on the roads and in their home, awe struck, the cameras rolling. >> we're going to stay with this as long as we keep power. >> reporter: as the storm came in. >> this is the creepiest thing i've ever seen. it

he-- tuscaloosa recover.so suggested ways we could coordinate through hud, so not only do we rebuild, we rebuild better. we begin with first-time home builder programs, provide incentives for small businesses. and the federal government has the resources and capacity to make that happen. >> suarez: when you've got so many people with so many needs over such a wide area, how do phase this thing? what's job one and has it already started? >> job one is search and recovery. that is making sure that everyone is accounted for. job two we're going to be phasing in tomorrow. and that's cleaning the debris. we're going to try to get on-- we're working through volunteers to begin get on private property, like you see behind me so we can begin getting that cleaned up and beginning mid next week we start with public roads and right-of-ways. we've got one seventh of our city, a large city here in alabama that is literally shut down. and right now our efforts feel like we're throwing rocks against the battleship because o

president obama visited hard-hit tuscaloosa, alabama.kate middleton were wed at westminster abbey in london, as more than a million people cheered outside. and thousands of protesters in syria defied a government crackdown. but activists reported security forces shot and killed at least 62 people. and to hari sreenivasan for what's on the newshour online. hari. >> sreenivasan: we'll have more from shields and brooks on the "rundown" blog. it's called "the doubleheader," where we talk politics and sports. and with the postponement of the shuttle launch, we are also delaying our "you talk to 'endeavour'" live interview with mark kelly and his crew. check the "rundown" blog next week for a new date and time, and keep submitting your questions on our youtube page. plus on "art beat," jeff continues a conversation with author and essayist roger rosenblatt about the craft of writing. all that and more is on our web site, newshour.pbs.org. margaret. >> warner: and that's the newshour for tonight. on monday, we'll look at the fallout at warren b

tuscaloosa's home to alabama's crimson tide.the campus was untouched, but people here are jarred by the loss of life-- 36 people killed in this college town. >> we have neighborhoods that have basically been removed from the map. >> look at this. >> reporter: shackelford found his dogs alive and new perspective in the ruins. >> the house is gone. i mean, this mattress is still here. >> the mattress is here, and we're here. >> reporter: six people in all lived in that couple's house, three of them students set to graduate next weekend. but they'll have to buy new caps and gowns; the twister took those, too. katie? >> couric: mark strassmann in tuscaloosa, alabama. those pictures are hard to believe, mark. thanks so much. meanwhile, the most devastating tornado cut across four states, a massive twister that sprang up in eastern mississippi and rolled across alabama, hitting two of the state's largest cities before moving up through georgia and tennessee. a deadly path 370 miles long, perhaps the longest tracked tornado in history.

i'm dan harris, in tuscaloosa, alabama. >> dan, you and i, of course, thousands of miles apart, covering such different stories. the one here has so much joy in london this morning. the celebration after william and kate's wedding continued well into the night and into this windy, early morning here in london. we have new pictures of the happy couple and their reception outfits. and even the picture of that magnificent cake. and take look at this. this is a video of the newlyweds this morning, just moments ago. they have just left buckingham palace by helicopter. headed for the secret honeymoon. no one knows where that is. >>> we are well aware of there's so much sadness and destruction at home, dan. some locals expressed their condolences. the terrible sights and sounds and news of devastation there, where you are. >> those condolences are well-deserved. we're in two different datelines this morning, covering two different stories. one of them is a fairy tale. the other is an american nightmare. i'm standing in front of an

rescuers carry this child from a collapsed home in tuscaloosa. described the damage as catastrophic. by wednesday evening, at least two dozen weather-related deaths were reported in alabama. this surveillance camera spotted a storm slamming covington, mississippi. at the university of tennessee, giant trees toppled trapping students. >> it just got really loud really fast. >> reporter: an uprooted tree sliced this building in half in northwest georgia. and dozens of rivers are rising at record rates. more than 15 inches of rain has fallen in a week. so much rain, flooding is widespread along the mississippi and ohio rivers. this suv was nearly swallowed in clarksville, indiana. and in the tourist town of branson, missouri, families aren't sticking around for mother nature's show. >> my dad's born and raised here. we've never seen it this bad. >> reporter: as much of the country now braces for what is next. this unprecedented outbreak is likely not over. the recipe is still there today for more damaging, possibly severe storms in the eastern part

one of the giant twisters rampaged through tuscaloosa, alabama. just listen to the power. looks like a scene from a movie there. we'll be hearing from another photographer who got up close and personal with this tornado, in just a moment. >> unbelievable. >>> well, the full scope of this tragedy will not be known until well after day break. we begin our coverage, now, with emily schmidt. >> that is something that you pray that you never, ever, ever see. >> reporter: all night, across the south, people looked up, looked out for tornadoes. this one, in tuscaloosa. >> goodness, look at that. >> that is huge. >> repved. s it arrived. and after it left. >> it looks like we got hit by, you know, 5,000-pound bomb here. >> reporter: tuscaloosa's mayor says the city's infrastructure is decimated. at least a dozen killed, 100 injured. here, a young girl survived. there are more than 140 tornado reports, from mississippi to maryland. >> that was the front of the house. >> reporter: the worst damage so far is in alabama, where at least 60 people died. and president obama has declared

alberta city, another part of tuscaloosa's landscape of ruin. mostly low income, but never more in need. >> who wants a hot dog? >> reporter: ...than now. volunteers with sons of thunder, a christian ministry, handed out burgers, water and hope to storm victims like mike worth. when was the last time you ate? >> last time i ate was yesterday... yesterday at breakfast. >> reporter: in despair, tuscaloosa's united by a sense of community. >> it's just an opportunity to come out and try to help folks that need it. >> reporter: at least 45 people were killed in this college town. carson tinker and girlfriend ashley harrison were both hurled more than 50 yards from their flattened house. the university of alabama football player survived, she did not. the campus newspaper reports eight students were killed. >> it's awful. there's nothing. it took the whole house. >> reporter: jessica geise says four students were inside this leveled house. only one survived. and after the storm, their neighbor and friend jarrad jackson remembers the survivor was in d

the scar it left as it went across tuscaloosa is on satellite photos tonight. absolutely massive, massive destruction machine. this is, this house, this wood frame house, very typical, emblematic of this neighborhood, working class neighborhood. of course we're motivated to say roll tide for all the alabama fans, this is a college town, 100,000 people, give or take. a lot of young folks starting out buy a house like this. this looks like it has been painted with a wagner power painter this mud brown. but this twister, and we're at one end of where the funnel passed through here, just opened this place up. took out some items of furniture, deposited other things from other homes. they found a diary here, not from the adolescence of the young woman who lived here but from some other woman in another home. this happened to be the home of two newly weds. they survived. they lived because they were in here. this is the bathroom. they closed-- closed the door behind them. they lost the ceiling. they lost the window, eventually, but a lot of people are following their

this is the edge of the destruction here in tuscaloosa. and now that it is first light, a search and rescue sweep in earnest will begin, block by block, house by house. and so many people here say the same thing. they looked at the sky yesterday, and this is what they saw. this black, massive mass coming at them. ominous, twisting, a mile wide. it was a killer tornado, just bearing down on tuscaloosa. and so many other communities, as well. it was part of a savage storm system that moved across the south from mississippi to georgia, texas to virginia, people scrambled for whatever cover they could, even inside a bathtub. today people in so many communities have their own horror stories. here in tuscaloosa, the home of the university of alabama, the twister ripped through neighborhoods, flipped cars, flattened homes and businesses, and killed at least 15 people. so this is a community in grief, along with a community in ruins. tornadoes spawned by this storm system also killed people in five different states and across the south, chris, the

walt maddox is the mayor of tuscaloosa, alabama. mr. mayor, welcome to n.b.r., and our condolences to everyone suffering in your community from this storm. >> thank you very much. >> tom: what can you tell us the day after the latest damage assessment in your community? >> well, right now we have 45 confirmed dead, nearly 1,000 injured, and we believe that will rise, along with the death toll. and we have scores of people that are missing, but we're not sure whether it's just because of lack of communications, and they just haven't been located or they're still part of the destruction path across tuscaloosa. >> tom: still clearly in a recovery mode, in a rescue mode right now, mr. mayor. what about property damage and damage to homes and businesses. have you been able to get any early assessments? >> we know that 15,000 people were damaged or their homes damaged along the path of the tornado, to give you some sense. 5.9 miles long was the path from a quarter mile to a mile wide throughout the city. >> tom: president obama visited your c

huge swaths of destruction cut through towns like birmingham and tuscaloosa, alabama, where buildings and homes once stood, there's now only rubble. debris litters the landscape for miles. >> we have utter destruction. we have neighborhoods that have basically been removed from the map. >> reporter: the massive outbreak was predicted, but when the twisters hit, there was little time to take cover. >> it was three-quarters of a mile wide. there was -- before it hit, there was branches falling out of the sky before we even knew the tornado was coming. >> reporter: many had only moments to seek shelter. >> when we came out, it looked like a bomb had been dropped on our store. >> we're just lucky to be alive. i'm so thankful for that. >> reporter: hundreds were not as fortunate. the death toll is now around 270 and climbing. more than 180 deaths in alabama alone. >> we are bringing in search and rescue dogs to walk through the rubble in the areas that we can't get to. >> reporter: president obama signed an emergency declaration for alabama and will travel to the storm-ravaged state on fri

tuscaloosa, alabama, looks like it's been hit by a bomb. homes and buildings were reduced to rubble after a massive tornado touched down wednesday evening. from this closer view you can see debris flying around the tornado as it moves through the city. leaving behind a long path of damage. >> we have hundreds of homes and businesses destroyed. and hundreds more damaged. >> reporter: the powerful storm system moved through the south with strong thunderstorms, hurricane-force winds, and a wave of tornadoes that spread destruction from texas to georgia. but alabama was hit hardest. around 60 people have been killed and authorities are searching for survivors. president obama has authorized the federal government to coordinate relief efforts. >> i've lived in alabama all my life. i've never seen such damage. >> reporter: a police officer caught this tornado moving through. it flipped trucks, ripped through buildings, and left several blocks decimated. here in this birmingham suburb, the storm ripped off the front of this church and collapsed th

these are shots from tuscaloosa now. the monster storm tore through neighborhoods and businesses, uprooted trees and toppled power lines. the city's mayor says the tornado has left a trail of utter destruction. president obama will visit alabama tomorrow. that same system of storms also tore through mississippi. look at these pictures. this is smithville, mississippi. much of the town was destroyed by this tornado. emergency officials say at least 13 people were killed. grocery stores and other businesses were leveled. smithsville's mayor says it will take months to recover, but he says he is grateful for the lives that were spared. and a tornado in green county, tennessee also leaving death and destruction behind. you can see the power of the storm in tennessee's northeast corner by these homes ripped apart. it tore the roofs off houses, flattened trailers, and left cars covered in debris. green county officials say five people died in this storm. you can click our website, nbcbayarea.com for more images and coverage of

this is video from tuscaloosa, alabama. authorities say this state was the hardest hit with at least 132 people killed. coming up at 7:20, we'll go live to the area to find out why the death toll has been so high. we'll show you where cleanup efforts are underway and president obama has declared a state of emergency. >>> doctors in los angeles are attempting to bring brian stow out of a medically-induced coma. you suffered a skull fracture after being beaten outside of the baseball same stadium last month. doctors have tried to remove him from the coma three or four times but each time he's suffered seizures. it could take up to three, four days to find out if there is a change in his condition. >>> residents are trying to shut dune what they call a horrible -- down what they call a horrible solution. this is in el cajon, from the neptune society. they are holding a public hearing about the problem with the smoke coming ut and the neighbors say -- coming out and the neighbors say the smell is bad and the fact that they are

john brown from severestudios.com was in tuscaloosa when this twister, packing 200-mile-per-hour winds and reaching a mile wide barrelled through the town. and he caught it all on tape. you've seen a few of these, i would imagine where does this rank? >> oh, worst that i've ever seen. and i think the actual data comes out on this one, we're going to see some high winds with this one. i've never seen anything like it, when we saw it, it was really tear jerking to see it destroy people's lives and property. >> reporter: as dawn broke, humbled survivors sifting through what remains. a sea of debris. >> all of your photo albums are over there. >> reporter: judy cook hid in her closet to survive and came back to collect what she would find. >> where that red is painted, that was my carport. you see that truck way over there, had a tool box on it? and it's over in a tree. >> reporter: six of her

president obama visited hard-hit tuscaloosa, alabama. prince william and kate middleton were wed at westminster abbey in london, as more than a million people cheered outside. and thousands of protesters in syria defied a government crackdown. but activists reported security

the tuscaloosa twister tore through a city of 83,000 people. leaving in its wake, entire neighborhoods wiped off the map. by this morning, shell-shocked residents were out, trying to take stock. >> i couldn't get up. i was having to move stuff off of me and i got up and this is what i woke up to. >> pieces of our house scattered all over two or three counties, but like i said we are alive. >> brown: some were transfixed by the wreckage that was once their homes -- now splintered into piles of debris. others began picking their away around, to gather up what they could. and rescuers did their best to pull survivors from the rubble, including this young girl who was found under a pile of bricks. but officials said scores of people were still missing. >> we heard a moan coming from under there, but they ain't moving the stuff so we can get through there. her kids, they don't know where she at. she been missing since yesterday. >> brown: the twister did only minor damage to the university of alabama campus, narrowly missing the school's football st

there were supposed to be search and rescues today, but no rescues today here in tuscaloosa. just a few minutes ago, they found a body of a 5-year-old girl buried in that rubble. so far, 36 people in this town have died here. and many of them were found in this neighborhood. on tenth avenue, the rosedale apartments were home to hundreds of low income families who had so little and lost so much. >> it was just five minutes, it was gone. >> how do you explain to someone what this is all about? >> tragedy. >> reporter: every home was leveled. they tell us five people here were killed. >> justin! justin! >> reporter: the sisters of 15-year-old justin thomas were desperate to find him today. he's been missing since the storm. you said this was his car? >> he was in his car. >> it's unbelievable. it's still not real to me. >> reporter: today, the family peeled through piles of broken homes and checked through hospitals. this evening, they were losing faith. so, what do you think? >> i don't think he made it. i don't think he made it. but you know, we need confirmation of that, thou

reporting live in tuscaloosa. thank you. >>> well we do have continuing coverage of this mornings royal wedding. coming up we will go live toluene do where thousands of people are on the streets trying to catch a glimpse of the newlyweds. >>> also the very latest on a landslide in the san pablo area. >>> good morning, northbound 280 traffic looking good in san jose. tell you more about the morning commute straight ahead. >>> there they are. you are taking a lovelock at prince william and his wife kate. they are on the balcony add birmingham palace. they did have their first kiss while we were in commercial break. we will be sure to show you that in a little bit. certainly all of those people that have been waiting for hours to see them being greeted by the couple. presenting themselves for the first time as a married couple. >> you see the queen just to the right well just to the right of william. there is another kiss. they did that just for you. live from birmingham. you see this is the live fly over of the roya

and their stories president barack obama is and tuscaloosa alabama.ess conference. he sought damage first hand and the devastation left behind after storms ripped through there. 36 people killed in that city alone including two students. the president signed a disaster declaration helping them clean up from the devastation. 200 people were killed. >> mark: the president then going to cape canaveral for endeavour's launch, but that logic is scrubbed an hour-and-a- half ago there was problems with a solar heaters on the shuttle. just as the crew was making its way out to the shuttle, to board they turn them around, delayed until sunday at the earliest. 48 hour delay for the last mission for in denver. president barack obama will still go to cape canaveral to me with nassau even know there will be launched. this san francisco fine49ers pid his lesser known to the offensive team mate. they believe they've found something special. the 49ers also show they could go free agency to fill quarterback. a check gone bay area weather. >> louisa: as we head toward

the president and first lady met with survivors in tuscaloosa alabama. he heard about how people found refuge as the quake hit. it's the nation's deadliest series of tornadoes since 1932. we have more with a live report from alabama and the latest on the recovery efforts. >>> here in the bay area, san jose firefighters responded to a fire at the herb appeal. the fire broke out at about 3:00 a.m. the street dispensary is again a ruin. a neighbor shows us pictures of the flames on the ktvu channel 2 morning news. the fire burned a hole through his roof. he and three others are now homeless. >>> more than 75 residents of an east palo alto apartment complex are going to be out of their homes for week because of a fire we told you about last month. as you can see the fire did the most damage to the third floor. damage was contained to a few apartments, unfortunately the entire building is uninhabitable. today investigators have said they have nothing. >>> britain's royal parties had two parties to attend this evening. he wore a tux and she wore a long white d

visiting tuscaloosa in alabama, obama survey damage and pledged federal aid to help rebuild.the twisters left at least 310 people dead and flat and entire neighborhoods across seven states. the power was cut to millions. the german foreign minister has hosted an exhibition of works by a chinese dissident. he says is time to show solidarity with the dissident who has not been seen or heard from since his arrest on april 3rd. authorities say he has been detained on suspicion of economic crimes. his disappearance coincided with the opening of an art exhibition in beijing. royal wedding captured much of the rld's attention this friday and also some attention from outer space. astronauts in the international space station sent their congratulations to the newlyweds. they will have to wait a little bit longer for a visit from the space shuttle. that has been plagued by technical problems. nearly 8000 people were gathered for the lift off. the national hockey team has scored a major upset in the opening round of the championship beating russia 2-0. this is the first time that german

lester holt is live for us in hard hit tuscaloosa, alabama.this and it takes your breath away. they will bring out cadaver dogs later today to look for more victims. the loss of life is beyond anything we have seen in recent decades from tornadoes. that's because officials say the size of the tornadoes was massive. over a halfle mile wide at points. they stayed on the ground for a long time and targeted heavily populated areas: here in tuscaloosa this is what residents saw wednesday night as a massive tornado tore through the area, pulverizing everything in its path. >> it's one of those things you see on tv. you don't ever expect it to happen to you. >> went outside, opened the door, just started crying. >> reporter: in all, at least 170 twisters ripped through six states. alabama was the hardest hit in what was one of the deadliest rounds of tornadoes this country has ever seen. two-thirds of those who peris d ed from the birmingham and tuscaloosa areas. search and rescue crews search for victims as hundreds of thousands remain without power

anything as destructive a tgic as what has transpiredn tuscaloosa. >> securitcames cght ts junkyard bng tn up. least 184 pple ve died in this state. somere probabl still trapped. up here, people ar searching for a missing neighbor. >> ty don't kw whe he is. haseen ssin since yestday. >> in misssipp repeated eay wning save liv. still, 30 opleied. in this tow the grocery store is devastated, thchur i crushed, the cemetery rui. people a mourning. >> wha was left was people ad bodiverywhere, scattered it was theost awful thing i havever seen in my life. >> the storms ofn ge more intense as the summer approaches. >>> an instigation under way after a bombexpled in rocc ateast 15 peoplwereille most othem foreners r securityorrespondent has the details. >>his cafe, momentsafter a dead bst ripped through. officis itially talkedf an exploding gas ciste but this apars to be the work of suicide bomb. instigators are searching t inside othe building for evidence. the majoritof tse who die here are thoughto be foreigne rather than moroccan they were alst certainly the target of the tack one perso

obama and the first lady toured tuscaloosa where homes were destroyed. >> in addition to keeping all the families who have been affectd in our thoughts and prayers, obviously our biggest priority now is to help this community recover. >> emergency management officials have deployed 35 teams in tuscaloosa and six other counties hit hard by the storm. they will assess the damage and assist in the recovery efforts. [ cheers ] [ bells tolling ] >> all eyes were on london this morning forth longanticipated wedding of prince william and catherine middleton. we got our first full look at her wedding dress designed by britain's sarah burton as v neck, long sleeves and a lot of lace. after walking into the abbey with her father at her side, william and kate exchanged vows. they then headed to buckle ham palace on an open carriage where they exchanged their kiss in public. the moment on the balcony was especially en -- en deeing. -- endearing. >>> it was not one kiss but two kisses. not only for the guests but the throngs of people lining the streets hoping to get enough close glimpse of a his

some of the devastated areas in tuscaloosa.right now what's a residential neighborhood. you can see behind me some of the des struck sun for so many residents around here, life has come to a standcity. nearly 1 million people are waking up in the dark again friday morning, 24 hours after a surge of deadly storms unleashed in six states. entire communities look like war zones. crews have the grim task of combing the seemingly end also piles of degree for bodies. at least 300 people are confirmed dead. -- are dead. many who escaped are still shaken. >> how did you get out? >> right there. we came out here through. we crowd -- we crawled. out we got out, i don't know but we got out. >> reporter: residents are returning the -- are returning to the places where the -- >> it's devastating. i don't nope how to do this -- i don't know how to do this. >> we lost everything as we. everything is gone. we have nothing. >> reporter: alabama bore brunt of the storms. president obama signed an emergency declaration that will bolster local and

jim cantore with us from tuscaloosa, alabama. a state still in the thick of it. jim, what is it about this system? such. compact energy. a single cell surviving hundreds of miles still very, very strong? >> that same storm that eric showed us in his package in clinton, mississippi, is the same storm that affected news tuscaloosa in the last hour and within five miles of the campus of university of alabama we've had structural damage and damage to homes. those are the situations that set up for that. this has been an amazing day. a fifth of the year's tornado so far have occurred in this day alone and we're not done. we saw the long night ahead of us including 45,000 people at talladega speedway in tents and no way to get away. a dangerous situation and a long night ahead of us. >> we'll keep an eye on it. jim, thanks, as always. >>> to politics now in washington. prescribe's re-election campaign got under way last night with three separate fundraisers in his hometown of chicago during one of those events, a microphone he assumed was off was, instead, left on and

this tornado flattened part of the university of tuscaloosa. >> i don't know if i ever saw in my life anything as destructive and as tragic as what transpired in tuscaloosa. >> security cameras caught this junkyard being torn up. >> they don't know where she at. they have been missing since yesterday. >> mississippi, early warnings saved lives but 30 died and many others just escaped. in this town the grocery store is devastated, church is crushed, people are mourning. >> what was left is people and bodies everywhere. scattered as the most god awful thing i have seen in my life. >> this is out of theordinary, 900 tornadoes. bbc news, washington. >> an investigation is underway after a bomb exploded in morroco. our security correspondent has the details. >> this cafe moments after a deadly blast ripped through it. officials initially talked of an exploding gas canister but it appears to have been the work of a suicide bomber. investigators are searching the inside of the building for evidence. the majority of those died here are thought to be foreigners. they were almost certainly the

the president and first lady met with survivors in tuscaloosa alabama. he heard about how people found refuge as the quake hit. it's the nation's deadliest series of tornadoes since 1932. we have more with a live report from alabama and the latest on the recovery efforts. >>> here in the bay area, san jose firefighters responded to a fire at the herb appeal. the fire broke out at about 3:00 a.m. the street dispensary is again a ruin. a neighbor shows us pictures of the flames on the ktvu channel 2 morning news. the fire burned a hole through his roof. he and three others are now homeless. >>> more than 75 residents of an east palo alto apartment complex are going to be out of their homes for week because of a fire we told you about last month. as you can see the fire did the most damage to the third floor. damage was contained to a few apartments, unfortunately the entire building is uninhabitable. today investigators have said they have nothing. >>> britain's royal parties had two parties to attend this evening. he wore a tux and she wore a long white d

rescuers carried this child from a collapsed home in tuscaloosa. the governor says people there should be ready for more destruction. >> there are very few times in my lifetime, and in your lifetime that you can remember an outbreak of tornados, long trek of tornados like we are having at this present time. >> this surveillance camera spotted a storm slamming covington, mississippi. at the university of tennessee giant trees toppled trapping students and an uprooted tree sliced this building in half in northwest georgia. and dozens of rivers are rising at record rates. more than 15 inches of rain has fallen in a week. so much rain flooding is widespread along the mississippi and ohio rivers. >> there is more rain heading this way, so i'm almost afraid to start cleaning up because the water will get back in here and we will do it all over again. >> meteorologist sandhya patel is here with a look at what is happening in the south and across the midwest. we are talking dozens and dozens of tornados. >> indeed. over a dozen tornados, and this will like

this tornado in tuscaloosa, shot by the university of alabama. and this ominous wedge tornado was in the northern part of the stated, where emergency management officials say six people died. and in coleman, residents watched a pair of funnel clouds bearing down on the town's center. residents across the region scrambled for safety. >> didn't have any wind in it. and got in there just in time. >> reporter: the line of storms toppled large trees and crushed vehicles and homes in birmingham. tens of thousands of people are without power. >> so, this has been a very serious and deadly event that's affected our state. >> reporter: the storms left a trail of destruction across mississippi, where flooding is also a major concern. in northern mississippi, an elderly man was swept away and killed by flash flooding. and emergency crews used boats to rescue families trapped in their homes. the line of storms is pressing east, moving through the carolinas and virginia. >>> well, born in the usa. donald trump fueled the birther firestorm tonight that eventua

tuscaloosas in a state of alabama which bore the brunt of the storm, but the storm also swept across arkansas, mississippi, and georgia causing widespread destruction. close to a million people are without electricity in alabama when power lines went down, the three reactors at a nuclear power plant shut down automatically and without incident. these old generators are keeping the plant's cooling systems operational. the storm took many by surprise. >> i knew i was in deep trouble when i saw the building coming across the highway here. i didn't realize anything until then. i told the wife, i said, i got to go. she goes why? i said tornado. the next thing i knew, i was rolling. >> cleanup efforts are now underway and emergency workers are finding more and more bodies under the rubble. >> i guess when your husband tells you a tornado is coming, you better take action. >> i think so, too. >> amazing stories. let's talk some business. >> exactly. we're going to talk about jobs. the german unemployment has fallen to a two-decade low and some analysts say that it could keep falling in the

guys. >> meteorologist rick wright live in tuscaloosa alabama. as always thank you very much for that report. >>> a quake hit panama this morning. so far there are no reports of damage or injuries. people near by say things were falling off walls and buildings. >>> nasa will try again monday for the launch of endeavour. some 700,000 people had turned out hoping to see that launch and many left disappointed. >>> president oe baa ma and his family were also there, they got a tour of the kennedy space center and met with the endeavour crew. president oe what also had a private visit mark kelly and his wife wounded congresswoman giffords. >>> some airport pat downs could become illegal in texas. a bill currently moving through the texas legislature would make it illegal for a security officer to intentionally touch someone's private area. s. security officers could only be able to screen someone if they believed someone was caring something illegal. airport pat downs are robbing people of their dignity say opposers. but security officials say it's ne

tuscaloosa, georgia, even in tennessee. a tuscaloosa native says it is difficult to assess the damage. >> i have to separate myself emotionally from this because i'm the governor of the whole state. >> reporter: president obama will tour the area on friday. >> the federal government will do everything we can to help you recover. >> reporter: and that's something survivorv count on. >> reporter: don't adjust your t.v. that's the pitch darkness that is this community right now. there is absolutely no electricity. and they had plenty of light just about 36 hours ago. but the electricity problem is probably the least of their concern compared to all the of the other disaster they have around. reporting from birmingham,alabama. back to you. >> thank you. incredibly devastating. >>> a bombshell confession in the jaycee dugard case. a bay area couple now admits they kidnapped her. >> what it was that she went through. it is something that no person obviously should ever go through it but then to have it relived out in public makes

cbs news correspondent dean reynolds is in tuscaloosa with the latest.> good morning, russ. one of the things that dons on you after you've been here for a couple of days is the effect on the emergency workers from doctors to firemen all the way down to ambulance drivers. they, too, have suffered in this. they've lost homes, in many cases, and in a few cases loved ones, as well. that has slowed down the recovery process, as they recover themselves. so the red cross has stepped in, setting up shelters, providing counseling for some of the thousands of shell-shocked survivors in this area. you mentioned nearly 350 people dead across the southland. it's almost 250 in alabama alone. 1,000 people have been injured in tuscaloosa here where i am, alone. so while the president came here yesterday and promised assistance, they clearly need it, because you can look around here, and you will see that recovery, when it comes, will be months, and months, and months from now. russ? >> dean, looking at that shot of you, there's a car there, there's all sorts of stuff.