A horrific storm system that killed at least 200 and ravaged six states across the South is one of the worst the country has experienced in more than four decades.
In the 24-hour period that ended at 8 a.m. CT Thursday, 163 tornadoes had been reported by eye witnesses. One of those, a mile-wide tornado that bisected Alabama, killed more than 130 people in that state alone, barely missing a college campus housing thousands of students, but leveling a large swatch of town with its destruction.
Officials are on the ground Thursday assessing the damage and delivering emergency services and supplies to the victims of the storm.
"While we may not know the extent of the damage for days," President Barack Obama said in a statement Wednesday, "we will continue to monitor these severe storms across the country and stand ready to continue to help the people of Alabama and all citizens affected by these storms."
The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center said 2011 is already a record-breaking year for storm activity.
Keli Tarp, public information officer with the center, said 610 tornadoes have already been reported this month alone. That number likely will change as those eye-witness accounts are confirmed.
"This year is likely to have a record number of tornados for the month of April," Tarp said.
A record number of tornadoes brought with it a near-record number of deaths.
Dave Imy, a NOAA meteorologist, said the number of deaths in Wednesday's storm system was the most in any tornado outbreak since 1974, when 315 people died.
The weather system had killed at least 232 people in six southern states, based on figures obtained Monday morning by the Raycom News Network.
Mississippi reported 32 dead, Tennessee 30 and Virginia eight. Both Arkansas and Georgia reported 11 dead.
Alabama took the hardest hit by far. As of Thursday morning, 131 people were confirmed dead by the Alabama Emergency Management office.
A state of emergency was declared by the president shortly after the storms raged through.
In his statement Wednesday, Obama said he told Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley, R-AL, he had ordered the federal government to move swiftly in its emergency response.
"I approved his request for emergency Federal assistance, including search and rescue assets," Obama said.
Especially hard hit was the city of Tuscaloosa, home to the University of Alabama.
In the college town, a mile-wide tornado killed 32 people and injured hundreds, tossing boats from a store into an apartment complex, ripping holes in rooftops and destroying a swath of restaurant establishments along a bustling street.
Hundreds of buildings and homes were leveled by the tornado. Overnight Wednesday, search and rescue personnel looked for victims who could be buried beneath the rubble.
Michael Neese, 21, a junior at the university, was in his apartment off 15th Street when the tornado passed by.
"It was like a white cloud just twirling in the parking lot next door to me," he said. "It tore Tuscaloosa up. All of 15th Street is gone."
The massive tornado left Tuscaloosa's hospitals swirling in activity, one of them also suffering damage from the twister.
"We're estimating around 600 were treated at DCH Regional Medical Center," said Brad Fisher, DCH spokesman.
Windows in several patient rooms as well as a waiting area were blown out there.
More than 100 patients per hour flooded their doors immediately after the storm, Fisher said. The hospital admitted 92 people and reported five dead as of Thursday morning.
"Our numbers will increase today," Fisher said. "Business in the ED is steady, so we're not done."
In the 24-hour period that ended at 8 a.m. CT Thursday, 163 tornadoes had been reported by eye witnesses. One of those, a mile-wide tornado that bisected Alabama, killed more than 130 people in that state alone, barely missing a college campus housing thousands of students, but leveling a large swatch of town with its destruction.
Officials are on the ground Thursday assessing the damage and delivering emergency services and supplies to the victims of the storm.
"While we may not know the extent of the damage for days," President Barack Obama said in a statement Wednesday, "we will continue to monitor these severe storms across the country and stand ready to continue to help the people of Alabama and all citizens affected by these storms."
The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center said 2011 is already a record-breaking year for storm activity.
Keli Tarp, public information officer with the center, said 610 tornadoes have already been reported this month alone. That number likely will change as those eye-witness accounts are confirmed.
"This year is likely to have a record number of tornados for the month of April," Tarp said.
A record number of tornadoes brought with it a near-record number of deaths.
Dave Imy, a NOAA meteorologist, said the number of deaths in Wednesday's storm system was the most in any tornado outbreak since 1974, when 315 people died.
The weather system had killed at least 232 people in six southern states, based on figures obtained Monday morning by the Raycom News Network.
Mississippi reported 32 dead, Tennessee 30 and Virginia eight. Both Arkansas and Georgia reported 11 dead.
Alabama took the hardest hit by far. As of Thursday morning, 131 people were confirmed dead by the Alabama Emergency Management office.
A state of emergency was declared by the president shortly after the storms raged through.
In his statement Wednesday, Obama said he told Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley, R-AL, he had ordered the federal government to move swiftly in its emergency response.
"I approved his request for emergency Federal assistance, including search and rescue assets," Obama said.
Especially hard hit was the city of Tuscaloosa, home to the University of Alabama.
In the college town, a mile-wide tornado killed 32 people and injured hundreds, tossing boats from a store into an apartment complex, ripping holes in rooftops and destroying a swath of restaurant establishments along a bustling street.
Hundreds of buildings and homes were leveled by the tornado. Overnight Wednesday, search and rescue personnel looked for victims who could be buried beneath the rubble.
Michael Neese, 21, a junior at the university, was in his apartment off 15th Street when the tornado passed by.
"It was like a white cloud just twirling in the parking lot next door to me," he said. "It tore Tuscaloosa up. All of 15th Street is gone."
"We're estimating around 600 were treated at DCH Regional Medical Center," said Brad Fisher, DCH spokesman.
Windows in several patient rooms as well as a waiting area were blown out there.
More than 100 patients per hour flooded their doors immediately after the storm, Fisher said. The hospital admitted 92 people and reported five dead as of Thursday morning.
"Our numbers will increase today," Fisher said. "Business in the ED is steady, so we're not done."
