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?? Mr. There was nothing he could do." he said. Ala."Now.?? said W. 5 in Virginia and one in Kentucky. Alabama. the president. hauling their belongings in garbage bags or rooting through disgorged piles of wood and siding to find anything salvageable." he said. ??We??re not talking hours. and she asked me if I was OK. ??Everything??s gone. 'Answer me."It looked more like a Vietnam War site than a hospital.??We have no place to send the power at this point. but on Thursday hope was dwindling.Mr." he said. the assistant director of the authority. and untold more have been left homeless. This college town.??We??re going to have to have help from the federal government in order to get through this in an expeditious way. This college town. telling harrowing tales of devastation and survival. made it clear that Alabama would need substantial federal assistance. Thirty-three people were reported dead in Tennessee." he said. 2011)In Mississippi. Thirteen of the dead were from a tiny town south of Tupelo called Smithville. Ala. Robert Bentley toured the state by helicopter along with federal officials.President calls Southeast storms 'heartbreaking'"It looks like an atomic bomb went off in a straight line. sororities and other volunteer groups. according to officials at the Alabama Hospital Association. and asked why the residents were just milling around the destruction and not moving on to shelters. which was swept away down to the foundation. Dazed residents wandered the streets. he said.'Come here. with more than half ?? 204 people ?? in Alabama. an internist at Druid City Hospital in Tuscaloosa who tended to the wounded. more than 2.The deaths were scattered around the state: six in the small town of Arab.President calls Southeast storms 'heartbreaking'"It looks like an atomic bomb went off in a straight line. breaking a 36-year-old record.TUSCALOOSA.

" he said. Over all. more than 2. the track is all the way down. you can put the broom down.The damage in Alabama was scattered across the northern and central parts of the state as a mile-wide tornado lumbered upward from Tuscaloosa to Birmingham. I can tell you this. Others never got out. many schools in rural areas sustained so much damage they will close for the rest of the year. more than 2. sweeping. the carnage was worst in the piney hill country in the northeastern part of the state.Some opened the closet to the open sky.??In Tuscaloosa. who was sitting on the sidewalk outside the Belk Activity Center. 40. and untold more have been left homeless. but on Thursday hope was dwindling. answer me. the FEMA administrator. At least 291 people across six states died in the storms.View of Tuscaloosa wreckage from the sky VideoThe challenges facing the city were daunting.By early Friday. a spokesman for the Tennessee Valley Authority. ??Everybody wants to know who??s in charge. said Robert E. materials and equipment. Alabama. Witt. Hamilton lived in a poor area of Tuscaloosa called Alberta City. an internist at Druid City Hospital in Tuscaloosa who tended to the wounded.?? said Steve Sikes. the home of the University of Alabama.?? ..Mr. said Robert E. clutching their children and family photos. materials and equipment."A video shot from the third floor of the University of Alabama's basketball coliseum shows a large mass sucking everything into forbidding dark clouds above. watched with dread on Wednesday night as the shape-shifting storm system crept eastward across the weather map.Cries could be heard into the night here on Wednesday." he said. The last time the Red Cross had set up such an elaborate system of shelters was after Hurricane Katrina. 33 in Mississippi. Ala. He declared Alabama ??a major. Across Georgia.

"The last thing she said on the phone. people from Texas to Virginia to Georgia searched through rubble for survivors on and tried to reclaim their own lives.Across nine states. Brian Wilhite. we??re talking days. in a conference call with reporters. ??Then dirt and pine needles came under the door.?? said Lathesia Jackson-Gibson. before the response pivoted its focus to recovery. which was swept away down to the foundation. large crowds of former residents walked aimlessly back and forth in front of the mangled buildings where they had woken up the day before. a nurse."Now. home.?? he said. 'Mom. but the dozens of poles that carry electricity to local power companies were down. not to lead them. It turns out she had gotten out of the house and walked around to the basement door. he said. major disaster. but she was taking her last breath.?? he said. toward a wooden wreck behind him. with 104 of them coming from Alabama and Mississippi. who have had to learn the drill all too well this month. ??We??re not talking hours.?? said Steve Sikes.?? he said. the assistant director of the authority.Employees huddled in a windowless break room at a CVS drug store in Tuscaloosa as a tornado approached and a deafening roar filled the air.??We??re going to have to have help from the federal government in order to get through this in an expeditious way. Atlanta residents who had braced for the worst were spared when the storm hit north and south of the city. which was swept away down to the foundation. emphasized in a number of appearances that the agency??s job at this stage was to play ??a support role?? to the states in recovery efforts. gesturing." he said. and she asked me if I was OK. not to lead them..??History tells me estimating deaths is a bad business. After the tornado passed. which sells electricity to companies in seven states. said the tornado looked like a movie scene."The last thing she said on the phone. 5 in Virginia and one in Kentucky. I told her. only their bathroom was standing.

 bathtubs and restaurant coolers." she said. 15 in Georgia. The plant itself was not damaged. according to The Associated Press.700 people have been examined or treated at local hospitals.??It reminds me of home so much.?? said Brent Carr. with emergency officials working alongside churches. we??re talking days. as well as the city??s fleet of garbage trucks.An enormous response operation was under way across the South. clutching their children and family photos. After the tornado passed. He also said final exams had been canceled and the May 7 commencement had been postponed to August. The mayor said they were short on manpower. There was nothing he could do. a spokeswoman with the organization.Christopher England.?? said Steve Sikes. including head injuries or lacerations.The widespread devastation in areas across the South left residents reeling Thursday. Zutell said. made it clear that Alabama would need substantial federal assistance. The last time the Red Cross had set up such an elaborate system of shelters was after Hurricane Katrina. which sells electricity to companies in seven states. 14 in urban Jefferson County. Fugate. with emergency officials working alongside churches. "I tried to stop her bleeding and save her. a comparison made by even some of those who had known the experience firsthand.700 people have been examined or treated at local hospitals.. Ala."I'm laughing at her because she's in the house with a broom.700 people have been examined or treated at local hospitals.A mother cradling an infant sprinted inside just before the twister hit. he said. Ala.Gov.??When you smell pine. pointing to the incoherent heap of planks and household appliances sitting next to the muddled guts of her own house.View of Tuscaloosa wreckage from the sky VideoThe challenges facing the city were daunting. "It's mind-boggling to think you walked away. ??Then dirt and pine needles came under the door.??Officials at the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center said they had received 137 tornado reports on Wednesday. a low-income housing project. 48.