the tuscaloosa city volunteer help line has gotten calls from as far away as california and new hampshire from people wanting to help. >> we are coming to the realization that this process will be difficult. it will be painful. and it will take a lot of time for us to make it through. >> the university of alabama student school year ended early because of the weather. if you would like to help survivors, log on to our website, wbaltv.com, were you will find information on how to help. wheels of pictures on the devastation and a slide show explain it -- we have pictures on the devastation and a slide show explaining how the tornadoes occur. you can e-mail your questions to wbaltv.com look at you. body rested. stress gone. mind sharp. because unisom gave you deep restful sleep all night. morning early birds. unisom. good night. good morning. >> you do not have to buy a new car to save on yes. it can be done with some simple driving techniques. >> steve chase is a man who started hyper mile in by accident after a got a $150 speeding ticket. he says that his mileage went from 22 mpg to 26 mpg

resuming classes today, tuscaloosa city schools. alabama students will be returning today after last week's deadly tornados. over 300 people were killed last week, most of them in alabama. >>> prince charles' tour takes him to the white house. >>> and today will mark the shooting of kent state university. on this day in 1970, ohio national guardsmen opened fire during a protest. four students were killed. >>> all day long, you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with nbc "nightly news." >>> and, finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. "today" takes you inside osama bin laden's sprawling compound as new details emerge about his death. >>> and music superstar shaniya twain is live in studio talking about her comeback from personal ruin. >>> now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first

. >>> two cities devastated by tornados. joplin, missouri and tuscaloosaked by tragedy and charity. up 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

. >>> two cities devastated by tornados. joplin, missouri and tuscaloosaagedy and charity. up next, the 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 do

. >>> two cities devastated by tornados. joplin, missouri and tuscaloosainked by tragedy, also by charity. up 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. (announcer) everything you need to stay balanced on long trips. residence inn. 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. we get double miles on every purchase, so me and my lads earned a trip to san francisco twice as fast! we get double miles every time we use our card... i'll take these two... ...no matte

cnn's reynolds wolf joins us live from the hard-hit city of tuscaloosa. reynolds, it wasn't just state officials touring the disaster zone this weekend. but apparently a few entertainers have come out including the likes of bill cosby. why and what's the message? >> reporter: absolutely. we've all been really been focusing in on tuscaloosa and with very good reason. but there are many places around the alabama that have been devastated by this tornado. pratt city, a smaller community just to the northwest of downtown birmingham, as we go to the video, i want to show you this video. you can see a couple of people, one of the people you mentioned, very familiar to just about everyone tuning in. we have mayor william bell of birmingham but bill cosby touring pratt city. i think both of them really taken aback by the damage, specifically in that area. >> what i've seen of trucks and maintenance things coming to clear up, as long as that's happening -- and i think people have learned from katrina this this is reality. and your mayor to make sure so quickly, so

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 for the people who have lost so much and there's just no easy path out of this and you

despite what you see behind me, there are large areas of tuscaloosa that are undamaged. yet it seems the entire city sharing the burden of recovery. >> reporter: there are no strangers in tuscaloosa anymore. just really good neighbors. they are everywhere. on trucks, trailers, on foot. regular citizens passing out water, food. >> they need the water and the ice. >> reporter: on a call-in radio show, a resident says they need water in his neighborhood. help is soon on the way. some of them hadn't met before today. some aren't even from around here. but now rolling through this deeply scarred landscape, they share what they see as a common responsibility. >> you can't help but come back when you see this. >> it says that in times of tragedy we can come together. >> reporter: in their wake they leave a trail of grateful survivors. >> you getting plenty of help out here? gl there's so much help and support it is unbelievable. >> reporter: many of those they help are volunteers themselves. no job is too small. or too big. and there is so much to do. >> it's really encouraging. >> reporter: it would be ea

cities. of course you're talking about tuscaloosa, because it's the largest city hit.ally, you go to a spot, and you find an area that is worst hit, but here, you can drive for miles and miles and all you see are images like this. homes completely de stroyed. we're right on the edge. you can see how completely destroyed here. it's sunday morning, and here in the south, people in church, typically this time of morning. over the last few days, you've had people working on gathering their belongings. this morning, church has meant everything for these people. that's where they are right now. meeting with the community, helping people who ve lost loved ones. people still searching for loved ones. once that's done, they'll get back out into the homes and continue this process. >> thanks so much, rick. time now is 7:14, a small illinois town, remains under evacuation order as the threat from two swollen rivers in a row. it's all happening in cairo. located where the mississippi and missouri rivers meet. water is seeping underneath levees. >> when the order is given, it will

. >> reporter: reginald epps suffered a punctured lung and was taken to the druid city medical center here in tuscaloosa just in time to witness his second tornado of the day, the much larger one that struck in the afternoon and destroyed this neighborhood and nearly the hospital itself. >> i was here, and then you could see the debris in that window. >> that window. >> yeah. that debris was just swirling. >> it was just coming right directly for the hospital and turned and went around the hospital, within a few blocks. >> reporter: spared a direct hit, within minutes the hospital's e.r. was overwhelmed with victims. >> this was the worst. this was the worst. >> reporter: over 800 patients were treated here wednesday. some didn't make it. the memories haunt dr. angelin ramsey. >> our first victims were babies, literally 18-month, 2-year-old babies that were dead on -- dead on arrival. and i had to go out and pronounce them in the ambulance bay. and that i was not ready for. >> reporter: as the number of dead rises, there is no accounting for the emotional casualties of this disaster. nor are there ready

right now the city of tuscaloosa is working out a deal with the corps of engineers to oversee and pay the cleanup which could start as early as the end of the week. jay gray, nbc news, tuscaloosa. >>> coming up tonight, a circle of friends broke their silence one year after the murder of lacrosse player yardley love. >>> i'm julie carey. alongside route 50 where a major construction project i >>> you're watching news 4 at 6:00. >> some kayakers were pulled out of the chilly waters of the potomac river this afternoon. a group was out kayaking about 1:00 or so when they got caught in rough water out there. at least two of the kayaks capsized. fire boats had to go out and pull everybody in. nobody seriously injured. >> been kind of a rough spring out on the potomac. >> it really has. another coastal flood advisory today. at times at high tide around 9:30, 10:00. one to two-foot tidal departures. if you know you are in an area that could flood you'll see that area again. alexandria, places like that. flooding is, though, a huge concern in other locations. this was an area that was hit b

right now the city of tuscaloosa is working out a deal with the corps of engineers to oversee and paycould start as early as the end of the week. jay gray, nbc news, tuscaloosa. >> and that's news 4 at 4:00. >> "news 4 at 5:00" starts right now. >> you're watching nbc 4, washington's news leader. now, live in hd, this is "news 4 at 5:00." >> tonight on news 4 at 5:00, the hunt for the world's most wanted is over. but the threat is not. >> al qaeda still remains a threat. they're still going to try to attack our country. >> from our safety to serious questions, how did osama bin laden manage to live inside this massive compound? and how did pakistani security forces manage to miss it? >> the story emerging today is changing. good evening. i'm jim handly. >> i'm pat lawson muse. wendy rieger is off tonight. days after the death of osama bin laden, there are new details about the attack. it turns out the al qaeda leader did not have a weapon and navy s.e.a.l.s handcuffed people with plastic zip ties before killing bin laden. tonight, there are also questions. u.s. officials want to know

tuscaloosa neighborhoods earlier today and spoke of the devastation. >> michelle and i want to express, first of all, our deepestcondolences to not just the city of tuscaloosa but to the stat of alabama and all the other states that have been aected by this unbelievable storm. we just took a tour and i have got to say i've never seen devastation like this. >> rose: the president promised expedited federal aid to states affected by the tornadoes. brian williams joining me from tuscaloosa where he is covering can me covering this disaster, we ask him to tell us where he is at, what he is seeing and the impact from this incredible devastation. thank you. >> charlie, thank you for coming to us with that question. it is awfully difficult just this side of frustrating to be in the television business even with a big screen, high definition, if you are so lucky in your home. it will never, ever substitute for seeing something like this in all the kind of perverse, violence and virulenc kerx of this storm. a brief scene setter. we're in tuscaloosa. over here is the makeshift set we use to broadcast nbc nightly news tonight. you see the shards and detritus of what u

. >>> joplin, missouri, and tuscaloosa, alabama, are two american cities united by tragedy.ve tornadoes striking just weeks apart. in joplin the work has just begun but in alabama it's been a month. how is the recovery there? cnn's david mattingly. >> 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 tusk loose sashgs i find gale harden in a moment of despair. >> today it just hit me, you know, that -- that i'm not ever going to be able to go back home again. >> reporter: after living in 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. >>> joplin, missouri, a

city and d.c. like >> like tuscaloosa, months ago, we are once again drawn to these incredible images from an americanter zone, bringing up to date on the top story. >> the death toll is expected to go higher as crews dig through the rubble of what were once neighborhood bs in joplin, missouri, at least 17 people have been pulled out a live. >> more bad weather expected today. the joplin tornado is the latest in a deadly series. sam chan ontakes a look why we're seeing so many stories this year. >> even veteran storm chasers said they haven't seen anything like this. >> the thing that's amazing is the sheer size of the tornado and how fast it moved through the city of joplin. speeds were 45, 50 on the south side of town. i could not keep up with the tornado. it was outrunning me. the tornado was in excess of 50 miles an hour. >> reporter: last month. 875 confirmed tornadoes was an all-time record for the month of april. in that month, 24 lives were lost during a series of storms in north carolina. and then came the deadly outbreaks that devastated parts of tuscaloosa, alabama. leaving a death toll tha

tattered flag recovered from the rubble in tuscaloosa raised for inspiration, the mayor calls that a humanitarian crisis. >> we still remain that shining city on the hill because the world has seen on our faith in god and our faith in each other. >> researchers -- the search is here have intensified because tuscaloosa still cannot account for close to 600 of its residents. >> going through the rubble, looking for those who are missing, we are taking the list of 570 that we have now and cross referencing and mapping to ensure that we track down every single lead. >> we know people who did not survive or who remain missing. >> we have not heard any names. >> it is a problem in pleasant grove, to. this couple survive with their granddaughter, andrea, in the basement of their leveled house. >> there are so many people out here who were not as lucky as we work. >> some luck is what is needed for a daunting recovery and clean up, too, expected to take months, and to be remembered forever. 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 deadl

it. >> i can tell you that the cleanup has really begun in many places, including pratt city and here in tuscaloosa. you have to remember, again, this is a tornado of historic proportions. just incredibly large. at times over a mile wide in spots. so, t.j., certainly going to take a very, very long time before we recover. let's send it back to you in the studio. >> reynolds there for us in alabama. we appreciate you, as always, talk to you soon. >>> for our viewers, if you're looking for ways to help out the disaster victims in the south, go to cnn.com/impact and helping both flood and tornado victims. >>> an american born radical cleric linked to al qaeda appears to have escaped an american military attempt to kill him. a drone fired a missile into an area of southern yemen where he is known to spend time. he was born in new mexico is accused of recruiting the so-called underwear bomber who tried to blow up a plane in detroit back in 2009. >>> meanwhile, the taliban in afghanistan acknowledging the death of osama bin laden. this comes on the heels of acknowledgment from al qaeda that its leader wa

manager says the president's visit today will keep the national focus on his city's problems. >>> people who live in t tuscaloosath rebuilding after such devastation. the city was hit april 27th with a tornado that killed 41 people. our david mattingly tells us recovering from such a powerful storm isn't easy. >> reporter: joe, it's been a month since the devastating tornado hit here in tustuscaloo. we came here to find an abundance of hope and a recovery that's moving slowly. one month since a monster tornado killed 41 people here, tuscaloosa, alabama, offers little hope for recovery to the victims of more recent tornadoes in places like joplin, missouri. what's this over here? >> my grandson's tent. >> reporter: i find gail hardin in a moment of despair. >> today it hit me i'm not ever going to be able to go back home again. >> reporter: after living in tents for weeks with her family, almost everything hardin had sits in a massive pile next to the road, letting go of the life she knew has been the hardest thing of all. >> hard to start over with everything, everything is just dirt and debris. but i got my fam

city still recovering. look at these images tonight. this is tuscaloosa, alabama, where 7,000 homes were destroyed in a matter of minutes, just a month ago, by a deadly twister there. president obama told the people of tuscaloosa, we're going to make sure you're not forgotten. and so, one month later, we've gone back. and steve osunsami is there tonight. >> reporter: there are no children playing in these residential streets. the city looks like it did a month ago. >> america definitely should not forget about us. the people in this area are going to be needing help for so long. >> reporter: the mayor told us it's taken this long just to move the debris off the roads. >> you just can't change this overnight. 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,

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 here and 40 miles away in tuscaloosa as actually being on the ground for 80 miles. in pleasant grove, alabama, chris clackham, nbc news. >> two stude

week's tornadoes in alabama, could equal hurricane katrina. 80 people remain missing in the city of tuscaloosa. >>> more big banks could be in big trouble. the federal government is suing deutsche bank for $1 million, claiming it lied about creditor's backgrounds, costing u.s. taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. bank of america and jpmorgan choice are reportedly under investigation. >>> meanwhile, rising gas prices are changing people's long-term buying habits, it would appear. sales of smaller cars rose 33% last month. the honda civic and chevy cruze were the top sellers. >>> if you're looking to rent a car, those gas prices will hit you hard. "usa today" found that rental agencies at major airports are charging up to 9 per gallon, if you forget to fill up the tank. >>> dramatic video this morning of a suspect shooting at police after a traffic stop in wisconsin. take a look. this is from the officer's dash cam. the police are firing back. the man is running back to his truck, still moving. eventually shot inside. he died before he could get away. an investigation found the officers we

for hundreds of people still missing after last week's deadly tornados. 340 missing in the city of tuscaloosa alone. accurate information, very hard to come by, as power remains out in many areas. >>> and gas prices have hit a new springtime record. they're averaging $3.96 per gallon nationwide. that's up 8 cents in the last week alone. >> ouch. >> that is hurting. let's face it, we now near the summer months. we're all going to be on the road. you figure those things are going to rip past $4 a gallon. >> to be that high this early is really terrifying. >> very, very. again, welcome. it is an honor, a pleasure, to share a desk with the both of you. >> and our company softball team just got a lot better. woo. not that you're bad, sam. >> yeah. yeah. thanks. thanks, robin. welcome, josh. >>> let's get to the boards. one or two things going on we want to talk about. we'll start with the big board first of all. all of the thunderstorms or thunder showers are in the east. dry in the middle of the country, that's good news. the blown levee in cairo, illinois. it's taken two feet off of the river. i

areas of this city that are undamaged, yet it seems the entire city is gladly sharing the burden of recovery. there are no strangers in tuscaloosa just really good neighbors. they are everywhere. on trucks, trailers, on foot. regular citizens passing out water, food. >> they need the water. >> reporter: at a call-in radio show a resident says they need water in his neighborhood. help is soon on the way. some of them haven't met before today and some aren't even from around here. but now rolling through this deeply scarred landscape, they share what they see as a common responsibility. in their wake, they leave a trail of grateful survivors. >> you getting any help out here? >> there's so much help it's unbelievable. >> reporter: many of those they help are volunteers themselves. no job is too small or too big. and there is so much to do. >> it's really encouraging. >> reporter: it would be easy to label this uniquely southern hospitality. except we've seen it before in many parts of this country. tragedy reminding us that at the end of the day, we're all in this together. >> any community would do what we're doing. i mean, it's

. >>> joplin, missouri, and tuscaloosa, alabama, are two american cities united by tragedy.in joplin the work has just begun but in alabama it's been a month. how is the recovery there? cnn's david mattingly. >> 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 tusk loose sashgs i find gale harden in a moment of despair. >> today it just hit me, you know, that -- that i'm not ever going to be able to go back home again. >> reporter: after living in tents for weeks with her family, almost everything harden 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. >> how to start over with everything, because everything's just dirt and debris. but i got my family and we'll make it. >> reporter: a thought echoed daily across tuscaloosa as small signs of hope slowly emerge. the street

tuscaloosa, a tattered u.s. flag is raised for inspiration, which is what the mayor pleads for, too. >> although we have been ravaged beyond comprehension, we still remain that shining city on a hill because the world has seen our faith in god and our faith in each other. >> reporter: the searches here have intensified because tuscaloosa still cannot account for close to 600 of its residents. going through the rubble, 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 ensure that we track down every single lead. >> you know of people who did not survive or who remain missing? >> i do not know. we have not heard no names. >> a lack of communication is hurth those in pleasant grove, too. although betty and earl survived with granddaughter andrea in the basement of their now leveled house. >> and we were all right just standing like this. >> and there are so many people out here who weren't as lucky as we were. >> luck and donations are what relief agencies hope for, too. with the need so enormous. >> i can't quite grasp the scale of how large this is. it's almost unimaginable. >> a daunting

here in pratt city we've been focus on tuscaloosa and alabama, pat chicago is one place that shouldn'tzoom around and show people what has happened, utter devastation from the trees to the houses themselves. you see wreckage everywhere. it's hard to believe you've got this spread for hundreds of miles across parts of alabama and longer than that when you think of the tornadoes that came here over a week or so ago. it's heart wrenching to see and a lot of families have lost everything. a lot of moms having a tough time on a day like today. as we come back to me, i have to tell you about an amazing person i met yesterday at a red cross disaster relief center. this person, t.j., was alicia fairchild, had her first child, the kid is now just a handsome baby boy by the name of christian, 9 weeks old and she's spending her first mother's day in a shelter with obviously mixed emotions and an incredible story. >> i look outed door and seen the tornado, i said tornado! we just ran and we dove under the sink, and the whole house lifted up. it started to go the wind and we were praying to god, al

satellite imagery shows tuscaloosa, alabama, before the tornado, and after, with the storm's path cutting a long slash across the city. right in the middle of the path is the corner of 15th and mcdougall before, and after. that's where our dean reynolds is tonight. dean, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, russ. well, the people of alabama and the deep south in general are trying to get back on their feet this weekend, but as the mayor of tuscaloosa just told us, this is going to be a very slow and arduous process. >> what's wrong? >> reporter: mayor walter maddox dropped by a relief station to assure victims help is on the way, but, unfortunately, he expects more bad news and a higher death count. >> i do expect it to rise. i'm hopeful that it won't. >> reporter: more than 1,000 people have been injured in tuscaloosa, and the mayor says emergency workers expect that number to rise, too. >> they believe that number is even higher. many of those that were treated for injuries never got reported into the system. >> reporter: suzanne horsley works for the red cross. does this break your heart? >> this has been horr

city this disaster. this is one neighborhood in tuscaloosa, alabama, that took a direct hit from a very powerful tornado. standing amidst the scattered remnants of people's lives. i'm standing among washing machines, mattresses, beds, children's toys. it is an enormous vista here this morning, and it is very sad. we're looking at day five of this disaster. the death toll now, 342 in the 7 affected states. more than 100,000 people here in alabama still do not have power. among them, many, many victims, children, so many children. so we sat down with several groups of children to get their take on this disaster. >> i heard a lot of noise, the whole house shaking. >> and there was trees everywhere. the front of the yard, the backyard, a lot of stuff everywhere. >> reporter: everywhere you look in the sea of destruction here, you see signs that the victims include so many children. toys, tiny shoes, a crib. these children are now homeless and staying at a shelter. >> and our houses started shaking. >> reporter: shaking. were you scared when this happened? >> 100% scared. >> reporter: 100% scared. >> if i did

city on a hill. >> the searches have intensified here. tuscaloosat for over 600 of its residents. >> looking for those missing. we are taking 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

through the rubble in cities throughout the south, trying to find survivors of the deadliest day for twisters in decades. right now, more than 600 people are still missing in tuscaloosaama alone. all told, at least 342 people are confirmed dead across seven states, including 250 in alabama. nbc's lester holt is in tuscaloosa this morning, where he talked with patients and doctors about a day of tragedy and miracles, that no one will ever forget. >> from his tuscaloosa hospital room, reginald aps accounts what may be the worst and best day of his life. >> the lights went out and the winds got heavy. and the windows blew. >> only the foundation remains of his colin, alabama home destroyed wednesday by a predawn, tornado, the first of many that day. as it hit, he and his wife, danielle rushed to grab their three sleeping children. >> she grabbed the baby boy, i grabbed my middle boy. i said james, get up, buddy, get up. when i go to get rj off the top bunk the walls and everything just go and my son go with it. >> at that moment, did you think you had lost him? >> yeah, i guess i did. >> but as reginald and his wife clutched their other children, praying out loud, 8-yea

and one of them, the city's seeing widespread disaster is tuscaloosa. >> and rick reichmuth is with usgood morning. >> you said it, widespread. most of the town, certainly the center of town completely destroyed and death toll in alabama alone 250 now and the mayor last night saying that the number of missing in tuscaloosa at 434 and he he expects that the death toll here is going to rise and here is the sun is rising for the fourth day and picked a new location almost anywhere you go, guys, this kind of stuff. take a look at the tree, the bark ripped off and the trees snapped off and a very nice neighborhood here, reduced to shambles. so many pieces are going into effect and so many people getting their hands into the recovery effort. and i'm joined by the spokesperson here for fema and tell me, what is your role here in this kind of a disaster? >> certainly at this stage in the disaster recovery, our role is to get the survivors of the disaster to register for fema system. if i could 800-261-fema or 1800-2 1800-2613362 a step two is to work with local state and federal partners to ad

recovered from the rubble of tornado ravaged tuscaloosa raised for inspiration, the mayor calls this a crisis. >> although we were ravaged, we still remain the shining cityn the hill because the world has seen our faith in good and our faith in each other. >> reporter: the searches here have intensified, though, because tuscaloosa still cannot account for over 600 of its residents. >> going through the rubble 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 ensure that we track down every single lead. >> you know of people who did not survive or who remain missing? >> i do not, no. we have not heard no names. >> reporter: it's a problem in pleasant grove too although betty and earl bosack survived with granddaughter andrea in the basement of their now leveled house. >> and we were all right here just standing like this. >> there are so many people out here who weren't adds lucky as we were. >> reporter: some luck is what's 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

tuscaloosa, alabama. where the mayor says hundreds of people still have not been found. >> we are now up to five cadaver teams that are scouring the city. going through the rubble. looking for those that are missing. >> reporter: it is a grim task across alabama. the hardest hit of seven states pummeled this week by tornadoes. a total of at least 340 people died, making this the worst natural disaster in the u.s. since hurricane katrina. >> well, the number one priority has been for the last few days to focus on life safety. we've been doing search and rescue. and unfortunately, that is turning mostly to search now at this time. >> reporter: university of alabama football coach nick saban tried to lift a few spirits, stopping by a red cross shelter where 240 people spent the night friday. >> well, we are taking it one day at a time. but i know we're going to make it. >> reporter: the red cross also is cooking for people who still have homes but lost electricity. and providing mental health counselors. >> these are my students. these are my colleagues. my friends. my neighbors. this has been very, very hard on everyone here. >> about 90

tuscaloosa. >>> 18 police officers in iraq were killed by a suicide bomber who crashed a vehicle outside their police building. it happened today in the city of hill will about 60 miles south of baghdad. more than 40 other people were injured. the officers were gathered in front of the building during a shift change. it's the second significant attack in iraq since the death of osama bin laden. >>> well, some native american groups are calling for an apology over the code name geronimo used during the raid to capture osama bin laden. he was an apache chief who fought to protect his people from land and u.s. mexican armies in the 19th century. native americans consider him a hero and say he should not be associated with bin laden. a congressional panel will discuss the issue today during a hearing on the inappropriate uses of native american icons. >>> there's new information about the giants fan attacked outside dodgers stadium. doctors in los angeles say bryan stow is not recovering at the rate that they would like. and the next few days could be critical. on friday doctors took stow out of a medically induced coma. they're closely watchi

cities. remember, of course, just last week, tuscaloosa, on april 27th, and we're talking over 300 people in alabama killed. and really, that's what's so monumental about what we've seen so far this year. especially, of course, looking back to the 1970s, where we had hundreds killed with the tornado outbreak. but in the early '90s with doppler radar, you can see the inside of a tornado. so to see in this day and age that kind of death and destruction is really so rare. st. louis, missouri, you remember, of course, in the end of april, the 22nd, the airport there. raleigh, north carolina, april 16th. so some big cities most certainly have been hit. certainly bigger than we've seen. in the past, in huntsville, alabama, in 2010. minneapolis, not only yesterday, but in 2009. shreveport in 2009. and of course, you all remember atlanta, georgia, in 2008. those certainly hit downtown, of course, right here at the cnn center. so what's most miraculous is this area that has been hit, has been hit before, carol. but when you think of the size of a tornado, it really being so small, kind of pinpointing

city but the blast unleashed a muddy torrent into some prime farmland. >>> charlie sheen is now taking his act to the south. >> the actor touring weather damage yesterday in tuscaloosa, alabama. he received an invitation via at which timer from a student who asked for help after last week's deadly tornadoes. sheen spent the day meeting with residents and first responders. >> i don't have words. it's unlike anything i have ever seen and i'm hopeful i can do whatever i can to lend support and compassion and hope to the victims and the victims' families and start the rebuilding and healing process. >> sheen wants to organize a relief benefit event for victims in the state. >>> today we are starting out with a couple of patches of fog this morning. i think mostly sunny skies through the day but the fog is showing up near the coast. some of that slipping inside the bay. temperatures in the 50s and 40s. high pressure building in, 70s inland, 60s and 70s inside the bay. breezy and patchy fog at the coast. still it looks like weather is going to improve over the next couple of days. do you have that little finger of fog right out toward the coastline. there it is right ther

the mayor of tuscaloosa, alabama, says 25 people are unaccounted for in his city alone. >>> five lessercan hopefuls took part in the first presidential debate of the t 2012 campaign season last night. they congratulated president obama for finding and killing osama bin laden but oppose the commander in chief on a variety of national security and domestic policy issues. >>> almost all senate republicans say they will vote against any obama administration choice to head the new consumer financial protection bureau. they say no one should be confirmed unless changes are made in the agency to make it less powerful. carl lewis can run but he may not be able to serve. an appeals court says the olympic gold medalist can be on the ballot in new jersey for the senate but the court hasn't decided whether or not lewis meets the residency requirement. he owns homes in new jersey and california. >>> spectators were shocked at a steeplechase in australia. one runaway horse that lost its je jockey jumped into the crowd injuringing a 2-year-old boy and 80-year-old woman. only two of the starters finish

> the death toll is rising in tuscaloosa, alabama where the mayor says hundreds of people are still missing. >> we have is are now with five cadaver teams cowering the city going through rubble looking for those that are missing. >> reporter: it's a grim task across alabama, the hardest hit of seven states pummeled this week by tornadoes. a total of 340 people have died making this the worst natural disaster in the us since hurricane katrina. >> the number one priority has been for the last few days focuses on life safety. we have been doing search and rescue, and unfortunately that is turning to a search now at this time. >>> the university of alabama football coach tried to lift a few spirits stopping by a red cross shelter where 240 people sent -- spent the night friday. >> we're taking it one day at a time, but we're going to make it. records the red cross is cooking for people who have homes. >> these are my students, my colleagues, my friends, my neighbors. this is the -- this has brch very, very hard. >> reporter: 90 miles north, at least 27 people died -- officials ran out of body bags and are storing bodies in refrigerated trucks. >> we're a ver

and in our state while larger cities like birmingham and tuscaloosa suffered damage, so did rural areas like pleasant grove, con card, rainsville, comb, and many others also incurred the wrath of the storm system and are now trying to assess the extent of their damage. in decab, marilyn and franklin counties we have seen nearly 100 deaths. virtually every part of the state was touched by storms and all of us were affected. the pain and loss that families are experiencing are still fresh. many remain in shock. however, we must also recognize that my state of alabama was not the lone victim of the storm. a as we continue our cleanup and recovery efforts, so do the people of tennessee, mississippi, georgia, virginia, louisiana and kentucky. our thoughts and prayers are with all of the affected states. we stand willing and able to assist you as you have offered similar support to all of us in alabama. madam president, i want to take a moment to reassure the people of alabama and all the affected states that we will do on a federal level everything we can to restore life as it was before. my

. >> city homicide detectives sent to review gregg bernstein and the will not be a comment unless they decide charges will be filed. 61 degrees on tv hill. charlie sheen makes a stop in tuscaloosa, alabama. how he said he plans to help. >> a tornadic reps to parts of new zealand. >> this is the beltway at wilkins avenue. >> welcome back. 65 degrees downtown. no rain expected for the morning commute. we can see some rain off to the west. we can see thunderstorms moving across ohio and parts of kentucky. these are moving east. we could see rain catch up to us here in baltimore later today. temperatures in the upper 50's and low 60's. 59 at the airport. 59 in jarrettsville. the wind will pick up out of the southeast later today. increasing clouds with a chance for thunderstorms. high temperature, 82 degrees. we will check the seven-day forecast coming up in just a few minutes. stay with us. >> a tornado rips up across parts of new zealand. look at this funnel cloud. pretty good-sized one. across a suburb of the countries largest city. cars were overturned. roof material was torn off buildings. no reports of any injuries. tornadoes are pretty common in new zealand. >> preliminary -

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 cityswelling 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 the strongest storms this morning. a severe thunderstorm watch, and that's shaded in yellow until 9:00, and then in the red, that's where we have a tornado watch out until noon here for us. so dallas included in some of this. we have big storms rumbling on through this area right now. and heavy downpours, not so much a severe threat right now. heavy rain through tennessee, and into portions of arkansas right now. it's all lining up right along the frontal boundary, which will not move much. this is our sunday, and by monday, notice not much headway off towards the east. same areas picking up. that's going to lead to more flooding. >> not the news w

damage eft behind by powerful pwisters in tuscaloosa. 3 the accor says he was stunned by what he saa... and lans to hold a celebrity fundraiser to heep the cityoverage... but says it waa a twitter message from a & university f alabama college student that actually brought 3 still o come.. got your weekend plaas down? 3 to e added to them.. next! nexx! 3 yoo're watchiig fox - 45 morning news.. all local.. 3 3 ((break 5)) 3 ((bump in)) 3 ((ad lii meteorologist)) [ pildy gets excited when southwest announces a new nonstop. [ pilot #2 ] we like to look out the window and see new places. we love to fly. and we really love to fly to new destinations. [ male announcer ] starting june 5th fly southwest airlines' new nonstop service from bwi airport to new york newark for just $69 one way. we have the best window office in the world. and the best job -- making sure people get where they need to go faster and better. [ laughs ] nice! [ ding ] i'm done with all these lists. and driving all over town. i want one list. for one store. [ female announcer ] at safeway, you get it all. great quality and great prices. so you just need a safeway list. [ male an

city. so really it's just a matter of bad luck in some cases. we had tuscaloosa, joplin.ry populated areas getting hit by ef-3, ef-4 tornadoes. they are so rare but they happen in rural areas. only one tenth of all 1% of tornadoes that touch down were ef-5. one in joplin that rolled through the center of a highly populated area. that's why we've seen so many deaths. not necessary global warming. climate change helps increase the heat. but for tornadoes to develop you need winds at different directions from different levels of the atmosphere and that doesn't necessarily come from climate change. that part of the equation we don't know. >> will there be more major tornadoes? are we done with this or more to come. >> we don't have a high risk today. slight risk. tomorrow slight risk. that's what we typically see this time of year. may and then june two highest months for seeing tornadoes. we won't be out of this for some time to come. >> we're continuing to get remarkable stories from joplin tornado survivors. take a look at this exclusive video. >> we'll keep asking. look a