back to you. >> jim cantore here in tuscaloosa. thanks. >>> we're going to go overseas now to rome, where thousands of people are gathering this evening to honor the late pope john paul ii on the eve of his beatification. that next to last step on the path to sainthood will be performed at a mass in st. peter's square by pope benedict xvi. nbc's anne thompson is covering it for us tonight. anne, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester. and take a look at this crowd. there are thousands of people here in the streets just waiting for a chance to attend that beatification mass tomorrow. to get to this live shot location i had to walk over nuns, priests, adults, children, all already sleeping in the streets. it is a very impressive testament of faith and patience to john paul ii. ♪ tonight at circus maximus, where romans once raced chariots, a celebration of pope john paul ii, on the fast track to sainthood. among the speakers, the french nun who says her prayers to the late pontiff cured her parkinson's disease. >> [ speaking

one tornado in tuscaloosa cutting across several miles for heply populated areas. every pile of brick, every pile of wood here tells a story. this was a japanese restaurant. 20 people took refuge in the office. it's still standing.ÑlÑnÑnÑnÑnÑ cooler they all survived as the building literally disintegratey around them. officially 39 people have died here in tuscaloosa. there's aÑcrÑd will go up. john? >> reporter: there so many stories here. remarkable survival . devastating loss. people tonight are pulling together, picking up and trying to move forward. a show of force today from the obama administration as five agency heads,ññ cacabinenet secretaries, got a first-hand look at the damage and the needs. >> i don't think words can fairly express the level of devastation here. >> reporter: in hard hit tuscaloosa, officials released the names of the 39 confirmed dead. their ages ranging from 95 to 8 months. more than 450 are still missing. >> my heart tells me that we will have many more fatalities. >> reporter: the work of rebuilding power grids shifted into high ge

officially 39 people have died here in us the tuscaloosa. there's a growing fear that number of will go up. john? >> there are so many stories here. remarkable survival. devastating loss. people tonight are pulling together, picking up and trying to move forward. >> reporter: a show of force today from the obama administration as five agency heads, including three cabinet secretaries, got a first-hand look at the damage and the needs. >> i don't think words can fairly express the level of devastation here. >> reporter: in heart-hit tuscaloosa, officials released the names of the 39 confirmed dead. their ages ranging from 95 years to 8 months. more than 450 are still missing. >> my heart tells me that we will have many more fatalities. >> reporter: the work of rebuilding power grids shifted into high gear. across the south at least 650,000 customers remain without electricity. ♪ >> reporter: at tuscaloosa st. john baptist church, a spiritual rebuilding. 14 members of the congregation lost their homes but none of them lost their lives. >> the

including tuscaloosa, home to auburn's nemesis, the alabama crimson tide.ivalry between the schools is legendary. it literally turned toxic this year when a crimson tide fan poisoned the oak trees at the tigers famed toomers corner. but that bad blood is buried now. >> just because a guy bleeds red and white alabama, and another guy bleeds orange and blue, auburn, that doesn't mean a thing in this. >> reporter: in tuscaloosa, entire neighborhoods have been reduced to rubble. damages throughout the region will likely be in the billions. many of those caught in the storm's path lost everything. >> we need all the help we can get, all of it. and we appreciate anything and everything that anybody can do for us. >> lisa miller is retrieving whatever she can. which isn't much. but she's grateful she still has her son, george. >> i'm blessed with my life and my son's life. i am blessed with that. because it could have took us away like it took my girlfriend away down the street. >> the university of alabama was spared, but the city it calls home has never faced a

this particular tornado went across tuscaloosa. so there's so much damage like this and then you go a few blocks and everything is fine. they're starting to get power n onto many of the affected neighborhoods in tuscaloosa. the death toll went up one overnight, up to 342. here in alabama alone at least 250 people were killed. this morning officials are racing against time trying to find the hundreds who are still unaccounted for but they realize that window for finding survivors is closing very rapidly. nbc's john yang joins me now with the very latest. john, good morning. >> as you know you walk around this city, you walk around this state, there are so many different emotions, relief at having survived, grech at having lost a loved one. desperation about having a place to live right now this region this morning is struggling to pick up and move forward. >> reporter: in hardest hit alabama, volunteers scramble to deliver aid, distributing water, ice, and medical supplies to people left homeless after the record rash of devastating

walter maddox is the mayor of tuscaloosa. he joins us on the phone. mr. mayor, welcome to "nightly business report". a month ago since your tornado, describe your community tonight. >> well, we're in recovery mode. we started debris removal. but from a physical, from a spiritual sense we started that road towards recovery, and we feel like we're beginning to turn the page. >> tom: what does tuscaloosa need as it works to rebuild a month after that disaster? >> we need to expedite the debris removal as soon as possible. we also have several hundred that are homeless, living in a shelter or living in hotels as they try to move towards a more permanent housing. >> tom: to those two ideas of cleaning up and now rebuilding, what can you tell us tonight and what can you tell your constituencys a month after the storm in kerms of federal aid and state aid that's been pledged as well as aid that's been put to work in tuscaloosa? >> well, the operation clean sweep is a joint collaboration between f.e.m.a. and the core of engineers that's been very successful. we c

she has set up this bus in tuscaloosa, alabama. you hail from indiana, right, and you got that bus ready to go, made your way to tuscaloosa as soon as these storms hit last wednesday. so good to see you. what have you found? how great has the need been for you to arrive there in tuscaloosa? >> thank you for having me. the devastation is just -- there's no words. the families, we've already heard from the kids that we've been working with. a lot of them have lost everything, so it's very widespread. >> so this has to be very difficult for you, too, in so many different ways, because you lost your two-year-old son, c.j., to a tornado, and here you are going to a tornado-ravaged area. i imagine that all of those memories are coming back to life in a very big, real way, yet you are trying to help others cope and get through a very similar experience. >> it is hard. i just try to keep focusing on the reason that we're here. it's not about me and it's not about c.j. it's about c.j.'s bus and the kids that have just went through probably

joplin, missouri and tuscaloosa linked by tragedy and charity.next, the future for both cities. ♪ [ male announcer ] in 2011, at&t is at work, building up our wireless network all across america. we're adding new cell sites... increasing network capacity, and investing billions of dollars to improve your wireless network experience. from a single phone call to the most advanced data download, we're covering more people in more places than ever before in an effort to give you the best network possible. at&t. rethink possible. ttd# 1-800-345-2550 ttd# 1-800-345-2550 ttd# 1-800-345-2550 and talk to chuck about ttd# 1-800-345-2550 rolling over that old 401k. >>> i lost both my boys. i was hoping we'd find ryan today alive. >> officials announced dozens of additional names of the dead today. they range in age from 1 to 92 years old. joplin, missouri and tuscaloosa, alabama, are two american cities united in tragedy now. tornadoes devastated wide areas of the cities just weeks apart. people in joplin is are still reeling from the disaster. tuscaloosa h

joplin, missouri and tuscaloosa linked by tragedy and charity. future for both cities. [ male announcer ] walls can talk. but it's our job to make them say something interesting. so how about this weekend we learn some new tricks of the trade... then break out our doing clothes and get rolling. let's use some paint that helps us get the job done in record time and makes a statement when we're finished. we're lowering the cost of a new favorite color. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. get five dollars off gallon cans of our top paint brands, now through memorial day only. the new blackberry playbook. gallon cans it runs all this at the same time. why can't every tablet do that? with listerine® whitening plus restoring rinse. it's the only listerine® that gets teeth two shades whiter and makes tooth enamel two times stronger. get dual-action listerine® whitening rinse. building whiter, stronger teeth. >>> i lost both my boys. i was hoping we'd find ryan today alive. >> officials announced dozens of additional names of the

we're standing in what may be the hardest hit area of tuscaloosa. this is an area we just got access to within the last 24 hours. look at this. it is devastation as far as the eye can see. almost everything is destroyed. this landscape here is downright post-apocalyptic. i say almost everything for a reason. because there is one exception. look at this building behind me. this building survived essentially untouched, unscathed. and that building is a church, it's the soma church. and we're going to talk to the pastor and his parishioners coming up. first, though, the major headlines out of this region this morning after that swarm of tornadoes hit this region, the death toll now stands at 342. the death toll in alabama, 249. there are still more than 100,000 people in this state who still do not have power this morning. alabama was by far the hardest-hit state. but there is a tiny town in nearby mississippi, a town called smithville, that was hit by a rare ef-5 tornado. that is the strongest tornado there. 205-mile-an-hour winds. and our neal karlin

this one hit joplin, another hit tuscaloosa. >> a few things that are different.ears exactly what all happened until somebody's master thesis figures it all out. let's go through things that are different this year than in a normal year. this is a normal jet stream. normal pattern. how is 2011 spring different? it's colder than normal on the plains. this is a record snow pack. there were 72 feet of snow in the alpine meadows. cold air across the northern plains. every time a cold front came down it was colder than it should have been. that cold air digs under and pushes warm air up and this has been an historic drought in texas. many of the storms should have been in texas. but if the air is so dry you can't get a thunderstorm you won't get tornadoes. so the storms are waiting for the floodwaters here. every time the sun comes out it bakes the floodwaters, they evaporate and the air is more humid than it would be in a regular year. something else, the gulf of mexico is warmer than normal. you have colder than normal, warmer than normal. what does that make? a jet

. >>> and i'm dan harris in tuscaloosa, alabama. good morning, everybody. we're here covering the aftermath of the deadliest tornado outbreak since the great depression. this morning, look at this. we have a tale of two churches, one completely leveled all that's left is a concrete slab. the other church, still standing, unscathed, despite the fact every structure nearby is destroyed. we'll talk about that coming up, but bianna has other news for you. >>> that's right. also this morning, in an elaborate ceremony. pope john paul ii was elevated to one of the holiest levels from the catholic church. he's one step away from officially becoming a saint. there's controversy about this. we'll go live to the vatican in just a moment. >>> we'll also begin in libya where moammar gadhafi's youngest son saif and three grandchildren were reportedly killed in an air strike in tripoli. gadhafi and his wife were said to be in the house. we have more from benghazi. good morning. okay, we lost our feed to miguel. >> reporter: good morning. how he escaped is not entirely cle

even though the damage that was sustained in tuscaloosa took six minutes. it's probably going to take us six years to fully recover. >> reporter: families here tell us it's disheartening and depressing to pass by the piles of rubble every day that don't move. there's still the smell of snapped pine trees in the air. the smell of fiberglass, the metal, it's all still here. nearly 100 families are still living at the last open shelter. they have nowhere to go, and the shelter will close next week. >> where will i go? sleep in the car? my family's house? i don't know. >> reporter: when does this change? >> it may take years or months. >> reporter: 69-year-old shirley billingsley and her family worry they'll have to sleep outside their broken home. >> this wall fell off right here. >> reporter: they want the federal government to bring them trailers or allow them to spend their emergency money on hotels or housing. >> obama came here and he said, we're going to help everybody. that's a lie. tell obama shirley said that and she lives in tuscaloosa, alabama. >> r

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

nearly 600 people are unaccounted for in tuscaloosa alone. closer to home, the national weather service has confirmed that two more tornadoes touched down in virginia during the storms, bringing the total for that state to 12. >>> two virginia residents saw the power and destruction of this historic outbreak up close, but not in their home state. they're students at the university of alabama near tuscaloosa. one watched from his dorm room while another hid in a bathroom closet praying he would survive. news 4's darcy spencer has more on their unforgettable experiences. >> reporter: clothes, roll tide. >> reporter: david cole goes through the items he was able to salvage from his house near the university of alabama in tuscaloosa, where a deadly tornado ripped through causing death and destruction. >> i was really thankful to have survived it and made it out alive. >> reporter: cole, a university sophomore, says the windows started to break and the house through. he hid in the closet while it rolled through. >> just in the closet praying. it w

russ. >> mitchell: dean reynolds in tuscaloosa, alabama, thank you very much. now let's go across the state line to the town of smithville, mississippi, which is also still digging out from the storm tonight. the town of 900 was hit by a tornado packing winds of more than 200 miles per hour. 15 residents were killed. elaine quijano is in smithville tonight with the very latest. elaine, good evening to you. >> reporter: good evening to you russ. well, of all the towns hit by deadly tornadoes this week, smithville, mississippi, was decimated by the most powerful kind, an ef-5 tornado, and the police chief here, darwin hathcock, told us he was caught directly in its path. >> it was just like a monster coming and i'm just thinking there's no way any of us are going to survive this because it was huge. >> reporter: smithville, mississippi, police chief darwin hathcock scrambled to take cover inside the police station and remembers looking up just as the giant storm passed. >> we could actually see the tornado still, like, right up over us. >> reporter: what did it l

in tuscaloosa, alabama, an important part of that story. why? because exactly one month ago an f-5 tornado mowed down a giant section of that city. the agonizing recovery efforts there offer a glimpse of what joplin is now up against. cnn's david mattingly joins us live from tusk tuscaloosa with a preview. >> reporter: people in joplin can see their futures. there have been significant steps forward. streets are now clear. the water is back on. and electricity is being restored to neighborhoods by the day. there are also significant things to point out like the house behind me. there are very large areas where it looks like the tornado just hit yesterday. i had a long conversation with the mayor of tuscaloosa and he tells me the time has come for a lot of tough decisions to be made by individuals on what they're going to do and the city has some tough decisions to make as well. >> we've moved 300,000 cubic yards but when you go around tuscaloosa it looks like we were hit by this tornado yesterday. and that is difficult because you hurt. you hurt

back to you. >> rick is live from tuscaloosa. hour the mayor from birmingham will be on "fox & friends" to give his assessment. >> if you want to help people by the disaster, you've been asking. go to foxnews.com, click on the tab how to help on the left side of the whom page and gives you all the information. and how to understand the potential impact of the violent storms, there are wind tunnel facilities actually across the country that simulate some of the effects. i paid a visit to one this past week down in texas. >> putting into perspective the massive amount of pressure applied by the violent tornado force winds that killed more than 30 people in southern states is impossible. but here in college station, texas, they do their best. the. >> we can learn about what the winds will do, what the strength of the wind, how that will affect different buildings, different facilities. how it will affect people. >> the r and w low speed wind tunnel recreates the powerful winds, with one notable exception. >> na 200 miles an hour win

morning there is concern that number will grow because nearly 600 people are unaccounted for in tuscaloosa. closer to home, the national weather service has confirmed that two more tornadoes touched down in virginia during the storms, bringing the total deaths for the state to 12. >>> two virginia residents saw the power and destruction of that historic outbreak up close. in the path of the strongest tornado to touchdown last week. one watched from his dorm room at the university of alabama. the other hid in a bathroom closet praying he would survive. news 4's darcy spencer has more on their unforgettable experiences. >> goalte >> got out as quick as we could. >> reporter: david cole goes through the items he was able to s salvage from his house about a mile from the university of alabama where a deadly tornado caused death and destruction. >> reporter: cole, a university sophomore said the windows started to break and the house shook. he hid in a closet when the twister rolled through. >> for about a minute in the bathroom in the closet praying, and the house was shaking. it was pretty in

what are you seeing in tuscaloosa in terms of the cleanup? there still major areas without power, and if so, how are all of the people who are living there coping with this? >> i think that right now, we have seen, we have seen an outpouring of volunteers around the tuscaloosa area. and so many donation distribution centers and delivering meals. we have seen, really, the compassion of the tuscaloosa community come out in the aftermath of the storms. >> grant, what is the mood like for the university kids? you know, in light of all of the damage to the school, the institution, itself, what's the mood from the campus? >> you know, though the university insfra trufrastructu not directly affected, i have seen university students encouraged to go home sticking around to help out the tuscaloosa community and really make a difference and contribute in whatever way possible. >> for the students who are adjusting to the way that the school has adjusted the school year, we heard reports that students they get a choice if they want to accept their grade

david mattingly, cnn, tuscaloosa, alabama. >> 13 mm people watch got gree" and his star.almost made "time" magazine's 100 list for most influential people in the world. he's a role model to millions of fans and hobb knobbing with celebrities. >> you bowed to lady gaga? >> well, she had a crown on. >> and he's even met the president. >> he said, hi, i'm chris. and when i get nervous i get high pitched so i'm like, hi, chris. >> and somebody who knows the first president better than anybody else. the first brother-in-law. >> what do do you say when you see him? >> mr. president or the guy who goes to his left all the time on the basketball court. >> michelle's brother, craig. this is "piers morgan tonight." >> google chris and you'll get more than 2.5 million results, "glee's" overnight sensation, fans hanging on his every word. he's here and i, too, will be hanging on your every word. >> thank you, thank you. >> i don't know why i do this to myself because i picked up "entertainment weekly" the cover, which has eluded me so far. >> it's coming. >> two copies of hollywood r

in tuscaloosa.on the south in recovery. >>> a quarter past the hour now. a lot of people are complaining more and more these days about the price of gas and why not? the average is about $4 in this country, but many places, as you know, much higher than that. this weekend we are trying to help you out. let's try to save you some money at the gas station. how? there is an app you need to know about and a website that will help you find the cheapest gas in your area. i will tell that to you in two minutes. . at ge capital, we've been financing taylor guitars for over eight years, helping them build a strong dealer network. bringing music to people... i like that. ♪ ♪ [ bob ] i didn't know you could play. i didn't either. ♪ mom! [ male announcer ] you know mom. mom! [ male announcer ] we know diamonds. and with an extra 10% off storewide now through saturday, we'll make this mother's day one she'll never forget. that's why only zales is the diamond store. >>> okay. we want to let you know. we're standi

. >>> joplin, missouri, and tuscaloosa, alabama, are two communities united by areas devastated fromdo. in tuscaloosa already it has been a month and recovery has begun as our david matingly reports, it is slow going. >> reporter: one month since a monster tornado killed 41 people here. tuscaloosa, alabama, offers little hope for a quick recovery to the victims of more recent tornadoes in places like joplin, missouri. >> what's this over here? >> that's my grandson's tent. >> reporter: on the outskirts of tuscaloosa i find gail harden in a moment of despair. >> today it just hit me that i'm never going to be able to go home again. >> reporter: after living in tents for weeks with her family, almost everything hardin had still sits in a massive pile next to the road letting go of the life she knew has been the hardest thing of all. >> i don't know how to start over with everything because everything is just dirt and debris. but i've got my family and we'll make it. >> this is echoed daily as small signs of hope slowly emerge. the streets are finally cleared. water is back on. electric

. >> with a tattered flag recovered from the rubble of tornado ravaged tuscaloosa raised for inspiration, the mayor calls this a humanitarian crisis. >> although we have been ravaged beyond comprehension, we still remain that shining city on the hill because the world has seen our faith in god and our faith in each other. >> the searches here have intensify because tuscaloosa cannot account for close to 600 of its residents. >> looking for those that are missing, we are taking the list of 570 that we have now and cross referencing it with sites and mapping to insure that we track down every ingle lead. >> you know of people did not survive or who remain missing? >> i do not. we have not heard heard no names. >> bet a and earl survived with granddaughter andrea in the basement of their now leveled house. >> we were all right. just standing like this. >> there are so many people out here who weren't as lucky as we were. >> some luck is needed for a daunting recovery and clean-up, too, expected to take months and to be remembered forever. plus, early estimates have that tornado that hit her

here's the problem. 434 alone in tuscaloosa unaccounted for.live. by the end of the week, we could end up with the deadliest tornado outbreak in history. let's talk about the flooding. here where the rain is headed. the fear is there could be inches of rain, up to 7 inches in the red zone from little rock to cairo, illinois. louisville involved as well. that would make the flooding worse. a quick look at the big board. l.a. near a record high today. light snow showers in minneapolis?c >> and we're live in tuscaloosa, alabama, this morning. diane? >> sam, thank you. >>> when we come back, abc news is the only network to interview osama bin laden. we're going to bring you the very first time we saw him. what was the first thing he wanted to say? that's coming up. unmatched lover's pizzas are always loaded with toppings and cheese. and now, for a limited time, any large lover's pizza is just $10.99. dive into a meat lover's pizza -- loaded with pepperoni, ham, beef, bacon and sausage. a pepperoni lover's with two layers of pepperoni in every bite.

the second deadliest in history. 434 alone in tuscaloosa unaccounted for.ve. by the end of the week, we could end up with the deadliest outbreak. let's talk about the flooding. here where the rain is headed. the fear is there could be inches of rain, up to 7 inches from little rock to cairo. louisville involved as well. that would make the flooding worse. a quick look at the big board. l.a. near a record high mostly cloudy over had the metro area. are breaks in the cloud cover. comfortable start today, 57 degrees in the district and 54 in frederick. with limited sunshine today, we out a few late today the blue ridge this afternoon and evening. the morning sprinkles have passed. >> and we're >> and we're live in tuscaloosa, alabama, this morning. diane? >> sam, thank you 37. >>> when we come back, abc news is the only network to interview osama bin laden. we're going to bring you the very first time we saw him. what was the first thing he wanted to say? that's coming up. with toppings and cheese. and now, for a limited time, any large lover's pizza is just $

the tornado that hit here and 40 miles away in tuscaloosa was reported as being on the ground for 80 miles. >> learn how you can help the survivors of the deadly tornadoes in the south and see pictures of the devastation on wbaltv.com. there is also a slide show explaining about how tornadoes form. we will have an update on what the royal newlyweds are up to just one day after the wedding. springtime in towson, how some people celebrated the very nice weather out and about. >> hd doppler showing just a tiny bit of moisture moving into a couple of counties in the viewing area, nothing to worry about. you will have something to worry about tomorrow evening, heading into the week. into the week. bright, colorful screen, high-speed downloads, hd video. she'll want videos of grandkids. i'm not ready for kids. what would i name it ? brian's good. a brian will make eye contact, work with his hands, return e-mails. okay, mom's getting a phone. get mom a new samsung fascinate for $99.99 and unlimited data for only $29.99 on america's largest high-speed wireless network. verizon. a city that's

across tuscaloosa today, the sounds of recovery. officials acknowledge progress won't be fast. >> we're all coming to the realization that this process is going to be difficult. it's going to be painful, and it's going to take a lot of time for us to make it through. >> reporter: it's a real race against time and against mother nature to get tarps on these damaged houses. there's heavy rain in the forecast. university of alabama students are helping, finding those who need them by twitter or just driving around. because the tornado cut the school year short, they could go home, but they're staying to lend a hand. >> we live here and we use tuscaloosa nine months out of the year like it's our home. when something like this affects all these people here, you can't sit there and not help. >> reporter: for robert mills, they're a god send. >> these gentlemen out here who came in and volunteered their services, they're super. >> reporter: with so many still without power -- >> if anybody has anything to drop off. >> reporter: -- car raid

these are from the tuscaloosa news. as of last night, 30 people still missing following the deadly tornadoes one week ago. that number down dramatically from 240 people who were still reported missing on tuesday. at least 39 people were killed in tuscaloosa county alone. shelters are busy helping to care for survivors like one- year-old carter matthews who slept through the storm. the tornado picked up his home ripping it from its foundation. >> i don't know that i could sleep through that storm. i can't imagine what they're going through down there. it will take months, maybe even years to fully recover from that. >> whenever you see that type of damage, it is the same thing with what happened in japan a couple of months ago. i look at it and i just think where do you even start? there is so much destruction. where do you start? it will take a very long time. >> happy news for us. >> and for much of the eastern united states. quiet conditions today. we can use it in the eastern united states after all the storms last w

>> david mattingly in tuscaloosa. more on alabama's tornado recovery in our top stories.et innapolitano will visit. >>> the usda's food pyramid will go the way of the dinosaur soon. the department of agriculture is expected to reveal a new icon on thursday in a renewed effort to improve the nation's health and diet. what will it look like? the pyramid will be replaced by a dinner plate. >>> and former republican vice presidential candidate sarah palin, remember her? she's kicking off a national bus tour today in washington, coinciding with rolling thunder, the annual war veterans motorcycle rally in the nation's capital. >>> save money and help the troops. it's as easy as snip, snip. the king of coupons is coming up next with some tips to slim down your grocery bill, and more. ♪ things are gonna get easier ♪ ooh-oo, child, things will get brighter ♪ ♪ ♪ someday, yeah [ male announcer ] wherever you are, whatever it takes, like a good neighbor, state farm is there. ♪ yeah, let's check out the horses under the hood! show me the carfax. show me the carfax. horsepower, foxpow

look at the satellite image of tuscaloosa, alabama. you can see the path of destruction. right from the bottom of the screen, all the way to the northeast, really incredible from the sky. jim avila is on the story. >> reporter: it's cleanup day across the south. a saturday workday as city after city begins the comeback. >> although we have been ravaged beyond comprehension, we still remain the shiny city on the hill. >> reporter: the line of tornados tore through 15 states in 24 hours. today the president added mississippi and georgia to alabama's official designation as a disaster area. alabama remains the hardest hit. 113,000 still without power. 1700 injured, 254 dead in alabama alone, including little edgar vazquez, just 9 years old. >> he's with his family. >> the town of phil campbell hit so hard, it may never recover. 18 people died here. >> i don't know if it will ever come back. it's so much damage. i don't know if anybody would have the heart. >> reporter: francis' family survived in a center hallway as the home fell down around them. >> the tornado that big, it

david mattingly, cnn, tuscaloosa, alabama. >> from the cnn center in atlanta, i'm drew griffin.ext.cnn, tuscaloosa, alabama. >> from the cnn center in atlanta, i'm drew griffin. piers morgan is next. >> the tender age of not quite he's already made "time "magazine 1 hurricane list of the most influential people in the world. he's a role model to millions of fans and hob knobbing with celebrities. >> i bowed to lady gaga. she had a crown on. >> he's even met the president. >> what did he say to you? hi. i'm barack. >> i get high pitched when i get excited. "i'm chris." >> someone who knows the president who's better than just about everybody else. the first brother-in-law. >> what do you call the president? >> when i see him i call him barack or mr. obama or mr. president. the best one is that guy who goes to his left all the time on the basketball court. >> this is piers morgan tonight. >> google chris colfort you'll get more than 2 million results. millions of fans across the country hanging literally on his every word. he's here now and itune will be hanging on your every word

you might remember it was a month ago when the president went to tuscaloosa to meet with residented and survey the damage that killed more than 40 people. earlier in the month he was in memphis, tennessee, to do some touring there and also speak with residents who were impacted by major flooding. so, yes, the president will get some personal moments to meet with those who have been impacted but also during his remarks, we're told that the priority for the seating was for the victims. it's opened in general for the publ public. they'll get a chance to hear from the president as well. >> thank you so much. we'll be carrying the president's remarks in its entirety as it happens live. meantime the national weather service said the tornado that ripped through joplin cut a six-mile swaukt of destruction. but some say it was much longer than that. they track it from beginning to end to see who might be right. >> reporter: we're now about three miles into our journey and you can see behind me by the time the tornado got here, it destroyed almost everything in its path including st. john's hospi

. >> it's not just birmingham or tuscaloosa.he state of alabama where these tornadoes have caused a tremendous amount of damage. tremendous loss of life. >> reporter: that loss of life stretching across seven states in the south. as it stands, more than 300 are reported dead. a rescue and recovery effort remains underway. search teams and their cadaver dogs are sifting through massive piles of debris for possible victims. for the survivors, the devastation is overwelming. in tuscaloosa, newlyweds are starting their new lives together from scratch. just four weeks after tieing the knot, they lost everything, but still did manage to find something to be thankful for. >> it has been good. we only had this injury on my leg and my daughter, she got an injury on her leg. >> their story is like so many coming out of this area. relief agencies, government, and volunteer organizations are racing to hard hit areas hoping to lighten the load for the thousands without shelter, food, and basic necessities. >> whatever they need us to do, pic

tuscaloosa cannot account for over 600 of its residents. >> looking for those missing. the list of 560 we have now and cross-referencing it with sites and mapping to ensure we track down every single lead. >> do you know of people that do not survive? >> i do not, know. we have not heard no names. >> it is a problem. betty and granddaughter survived in the basement of their now leveled house. >> we were all just standing like this. >> there were so many people out here not as lucky as we were. >> luck is what is needed for a daunting recovery. expected to take months and be remembered forever. >> early estimates have that tornado here as actually being on the ground for 80 miles. in pleasant grove, alabama, chris clackum, nbc news. >> if you want to know how you to help people in the south and see pictures of the devastation go to www.wbaltv.com. you will also see more about tornadoes and how they form. >> we have a nice quiet morning. out to the west, elements of a new storm system is beginning to move in. it has cranked up in the central part of the nation. out in wes

ahead this hour, we'll take you live to tuscaloosa, alabama. before this week, we have only heard of that town as a home of the university of alabama. now you likely know it as a place where more than three dozen people died. >>> also, this time yesterday we were learning about a nato air strike in libya that killed one of moammar gadhafi's sons. today the fallout as gadhafi vows retaliation. >>> and many of you have been asking for information on social media, reach out to us at twitter, facebook and at foursquare.com as well. buiing us network all across america. we're adding new cell sites... increasing network capacity, and investing billions of dollars to improve your wireless network experience. from a single phone call to the most advanced data download, we're covering more people in more places than ever before in an effort to give you the best network possible. at&t. rethink possible. in an effort to give you the best network possible. curtis: welcome back to geico it's savings, on the radio. gecko: hello clarence from stevens point. c

satellite imagery showing complete devastation in tuscaloosa, alabama.ahothe government is estimating that there was 3112 tornado and one day. the twisters killed 340 people and 24 hours. the tornadoes devastated towns and flattened homes and leaving thousands homeless. the red cross set up shelters and provided food, supplies. federal disasters are also being set up to navigate the red tape to help shelter and apply for aid. kate thompson, kron 4 news. (music) >> jacqueline: what a gorgeous day out there today. at the marina towards alcatraz that fog kept it cooler. we are going to see fog again tomorrow. it is not going to be quite as bad as tomorrow which means warmer conditions tomorrow. just a few clouds but it will clear out, quicker tomorrow. the wind will be coming out from the land instead of the ocean which will be warmer into the afternoon. temperatures will be warmer but he specially as we go towards inland it will really get more. of the fog tracker is showing exactly where it will be overnight. the bay shores, and along the coast. until 6:0

as dean reynolds will be telling us from tuscaloosa, alabama. then we're on to 10 downing street, the historic london residence that was just off the parade route of friday's royal wedding. katie couric will be taking us on a house tour this morning. >> couric: it's the most famous address in great britain. 10 downing street. >> this is churchill's favorite armchair. >> reporter: prime minister david cameron. >> these are the prime ministers all the way up. >> reporter: encountering the history and confronting the challenges of the united kingdom's highest office later on sunday morning. >> osgood: actor cary grant was born in britain. after moving to america he became hollywood royalty. now a quarter venturi after grant's death his daughter has many fond things to say about him. she'll be saying them this morning to our rita braver. >> reporter: cary grant was the ultimate leading man. dashing and debonair. but it was the role of real-life father that he relished. what do you want the world to know about cary grant that we don't know? that the.

neal karlinsky is in tuscaloosa, alabama, tonight. neal, good evening. >> reporter: david, good evening. even four days into this, the damage is as fresh as if it just happened. pieces of metal and steel, twisted about like sheets of paper. across this region tonight, people are only just beginning to assess what they'll do next. ♪ across the south today, there was a lot to pray for. and nowhere was that more evident than the tiny phil campbell church of god in alabama. >> the sun will rise tomorrow. >> reporter: never mind the fact that everything but a slab of foundation was ripped away. these deeply religious people soldiered on amid nothing but rubble. >> i am confident that phil campbell, hackleburg, all the other places across alabama and the southeast will rise out and we will be stronger. >> reporter: new images from weather teams show the remarkable before and after of one neighborhood, swept clean of everything that stood more than an inch off the ground. nearby, winds were strong enough to twist metal around a pole like it

grove elementary school in a small town of pleasant grove 50 miles from tuscaloosa.f the town is still standing, including the elementary school. so they resumed school today, but inside the school, people are still hurting. nine teachers lost their homes. a cafeteria worker lost her daughter who went to the university of alabama here in tuscaloosa. many of the students, though they all survived, many lost loved ones. and many lost their homes entirely. in fact, the teachers today said they're putting away their math books and english books and just giving out hugs today in pleasant grove. >> what are they doing now about these estimated 80 people missing? >> that's down quite a bit from just a few days ago. earlier in the week it was 700 missing. yesterday, they lowered it to 240. and last night they lowered it down to 80. i think what is happening is word is getting out that authorities are still looking for the people who additionally were listed as missing. and now the telephones have been reconnected, people are back in touch, they're able to notify authorities

to everyone from outside tuscaloosa. there are a lot of heroes that we have in our community right now but you don't have to be in tuscaloosa to help out, blood dough naightses, monetary donation, the acts of kindness going into the red cross, every little bit will go a long way and gets us a step closer to recovery. jon: grant cochran is president of the student university at tuscaloosa, at the university there. thank you. >> roll tight. jon: you're listening to some of the stories, taking a look at the photos of the damage. if you want to help, go to fox news.coment. we have a list of organizations that are trying to make a difference there in that area that was so badly ripped by that tornado. jenna: a little student hidden pride there. jon: student pride, role tide! >> jenna: calling bin laden's death an act of national defense. more on the fallout and what it means for the war in afghanistan. >>> plus massive flooding in the midwest, the army blasting a levy to ease pressure on some towns. it may even do more. mike

>> reporter: tuscaloosa native dalton is showing his insurance adjustor what's left of the home he's lived in for 20 years. >> you had a very nice home here. >> was a dining room over here. this all out on the carport. >> reporter: he filed his claim the day after the deadly storm. once the initial shock wore off. >> we were just devastated, you know. after you get to thinking about it, you know, the money's got to come in. >> reporter: according to one industry estimate, insured losses from wednesday's tornadoes in the southeast could cost between $2 billion to $5 billion. some companies are sending in mobile offices to process the thousands of claims. adjustors are going from house to house documenting the damage. taking measurements. and estimating the losses. a daunting task with so many homes in ruin. >> i've seen a lot. i don't know how it gets any worse than this. look around, how does it get any worse than this? >> there it is, gone. >> like it just sucked them out. they were heavy chairs. took two good men to bring them in here. >> reporter: gaddis and his wife expect to get

david mattingly, cnn, tuscaloosa, alabama. >> you're in the cnn newsroom for this special report. this special joplin memorial service this sunday, may 29. it's going to begin any minute. live pictures of all those who have a ticket and a seat in place. president barack obama is also there. he's seen for himself the destruction that left behind the destruction of last world series eek tornado and he also met face to face with many of the survivors. our dan lothian is traveling with the president. he's also there in joplin. casey wian is there and jacqui jeras has more. dan, let's start with you, the focus here, his message to the people of joplin. >> reporter: the message being that the federal government will be here to assist inny way possible. he'll be delivering the remarks in a short time. he did get a chance to meet them up close, shake their hands. he promised that the federal government would take on this tragedy. that it was not just their tragedy alone but it would be a national response. also promising the federal government will be here long after the cameras lead. so

and tuscaloosa, of course, is not the only community hit by this.ed tornadoes across the south, just to the north of here in a town called hackleburg, 100 miles north of here, it's confirmed they had an ef-5 tornado. that's the most powerful on the scale. winds more than 200 miles per hour. the storm that came here was at least an ef-3, and the meteorologist are expected to announce today it could go up to an ef-4 or perhaps ef-5 as they continue to analyze the damage across the sections here of tuscaloosa and beyond. this tornado was on the ground for more than an hour and travelled more than 100 miles. alex? >> yeah, such devastation. thank you. >>> and then potential flooding. the city is threatened by two swelling rivers. the army corp of engineers are trying to find a way to fix the problem. and then check in with alex wallace for the forecast. >> good morning to you, alex. we are seeing more showers and storms in some of the same areas we have seen them over the past couple days. and all the way down into north texas as well. we had some of th