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Death Toll Near 270 in Southern Storms

Tornado devastates Tuscaloosa

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Apr 27, 2011 11:17 PM CDT | Updated Apr 28, 2011 12:07 PM CDT

(Newser) – A wave of tornado-spawning storms ripped through six states yesterday, killing at least 269 people and flattening buildings. Some 180 people died in Alabama alone, many of those in college-town Tuscaloosa, where a mile-wide tornado tore through the city's downtown, the AP reports. There were 33 casualties in Mississippi, 33 in Tennessee, 14 in Georgia, eight in Virginia, and one in Kentucky.

President Obama has spoken with Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley and approved his request for federal emergency assistance, including search and rescue teams. Tuscaloosa's mayor estimates "hundreds of homes and businesses (were) destroyed and hundreds more damaged" around the University of Alabama campus, reports the BBC, and the city's infrastructure has been devastated. "What we faced today was massive damage on a scale we have not seen in Tuscaloosa in quite some time," he told reporters.

Residents survey the destruction after a tornado hit Pratt City, Ala. just north of downtown Birmingham, Ala., on Wednesday, April 27, 2011. . (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Storm damage surrounds the Cullman County Courthouse in downtown Cullman, Ala. after a tornado touched down on Wednesday afternoon, April 27, 2011. (AP Photo/Decatur Daily,Brennen Smith)

Onlookers make their way through the rubble left by a tornado that touched down Wednesday, April 27, 2011 Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Caroline Summers)

A tornado moves through Tuscaloosa, Ala. Wednesday, April 27, 2011. (AP Photo/The Tuscaloosa News, Dusty Compton)

Cars are flipped and debris litters the road after a tornado touched down, Wednesday, April 27, 2011 Tuscaloosa, Ala. A wave of severe storms laced with tornadoes strafed the South on Wednesday, killing... (AP Photo/Caroline Summers)

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Scenes of the South's Devastation

Tuscaloosa looks something like a war zone

(NEWSER) - With the death toll at 194 and climbing as a result of the violent storms that rampaged across the South, the governors of Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi have declared states of emergency. A nuclear plant near Huntsville, Ala., lost power and was relying on diesel generators, reports the AP. Click through the gallery for a look at what the South woke up to this morning. More»

Storms Wallop South; Death Toll Hits 17

Tornadoes claim victims in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama

(NEWSER) - A total of seven people have been killed in violent storms in Alabama, bringing the total death toll to 17 as a devastating storm system works its way across the South. A spate of tornadoes ripped through towns, tossing mobile homes around like toys. "The tornado hit and jumped and hit and jumped again," says an Alabama official. "It would do some damage and then move on." Deaths have been reported in Oklahoma and Arkansas. More»

Deadly Storms Sweep Southeast

1 killed, 2 injured in NC twister

(NEWSER) - A deadly North Carolina twister was part of a powerful storm system that rocked the Southeast last night, AP reports. The Carolina tornado knocked three tractor-trailers off a highway, killing one and injuring two. Storms also hammered a shopping area in Mississippi, and homes in Tennessee and Alabama, where winds hit 60 mph. More»

Savage Storms Lash the South

2-year-old dies in Kentucky; Mississippi and Arkansas battered

(NEWSER) - Severe storms tore through Southern states yesterday, the AP reports. Homes were damaged and tens of thousands of people had their power knocked out. A 2-year-old Kentucky girl died in surging floodwater and 22 injuries were reported in Mississippi as storms packing possible tornadoes toppled trees, ripped roofs off homes and businesses, and sent debris flying. More»

Videos Show Huge Sweep of Tornadoes

Cameras catch massive funnels in Tuscaloosa, elsewhere

(NEWSER) - As Alabama and the other states hit hard by yesterday's tornadoes clean up, no shortage of incredible video is emerging. See the gallery for a handful of selections. After surveying the damage, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walter Maddox put it this way, according to CNN : "I don't know how anyone survived. We're used to tornadoes here in Tuscaloosa. It's part of growing up. But when you look at the path of destruction that's likely 5 to 7 miles long in an area half a mile to a mile wide ... it's an amazing scene. There's parts of the city I don't recognize, and that's someone that's lived here his entire life." More»

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Death Toll Near 270 in Southern Storms

Tornado devastates Tuscaloosa

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More Newser Stories

Scenes of the South's Devastation

Tuscaloosa looks something like a war zone

Storms Wallop South; Death Toll Hits 17

Tornadoes claim victims in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama

Deadly Storms Sweep Southeast

1 killed, 2 injured in NC twister

Savage Storms Lash the South

2-year-old dies in Kentucky; Mississippi and Arkansas battered

Videos Show Huge Sweep of Tornadoes

Cameras catch massive funnels in Tuscaloosa, elsewhere

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