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Scenes of the South's Devastation

Tuscaloosa looks something like a war zone

By Polly Davis Doig, Newser Staff

Posted Apr 28, 2011 8:57 AM CDT

(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.

Lightning streaks above Cornith Baptist Church in Athens, Ga., as a line of severe thunderstorms sweep across Georgia in the early morning on Thursday, April 28, 2011. (David Manning)

A cow surveys the remains of a trailer frame in Preston, Miss., following a tornado touchdown that took the lives of three women, Wednesday, April 27, 2011. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

A funnel cloud approaches Tuscaloosa, Ala. where reported wide spread damage has occurred from the storm in this photo taken looking north from Taylorsville, Ala. Wednesday April 27, 2011. (Don Kausler, Jr.)

A car lies overturns and buildings destroyed in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Wednesday, April 27, 2011. A wave of severe storms laced with tornadoes strafed the South on Wednesday. (Dusty Compton)

John Segars' Heating and Air was destroyed in Concord, Ala. after what appeared to be a tornado ripped through parts of the town, late Wednesday, April 27, 2011. The damage in the area is extensive. (JEFF ROBERTS)

Residents drive past stripped pine trees from a tornado that passed through Philadelphia, Miss., Wednesday, April 27, 2011. Several tornadoes hit in the state resulting in number of deaths. (Rogelio V. Solis)

Residents survey the damage to a home near Bond, Miss., Wednesday, April 27, 2011. Several tornadoes hit in the state resulting in number of deaths. (Rogelio V. Solis)

Residents search through what is left of their homes Thursday April 28, 2011 after a tornado hit Pleasant Grove, Ala., just west of downtown Birmingham Wednesday afternoon. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

An injured man is carried away after a tornado touched down, Wednesday, April 27, 2011 in Birmingham, Ala., (AP Photo/The Birmingham News, Bernard Troncale)

A young resident surveys the damage to a home near Bond, Miss., Wednesday, April 27, 2011. Several tornadoes hit in the state resulting in number of deaths. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

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)

Devastation is left Thursday, April 28, 2011 after a tornado hit Pleasant Grove, Ala., just west of downtown Birmingham Wednesday afternoon. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

A vehicle sits damaged after a tornado hit Pleasant Grove just west of downtown Birmingham a day earlier, on Thursday, April 28, 2011, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Concord Fire and Rescue personnel run toward a large down tree that was blocking Warrior River Road after a tornado touched down, Wednesday, April 27, 2011 in Concord, Ala. (AP Photo/Birmingham News, Jeff Roberts)

Concrete steps lead to remains of a mobile home in Preston, Miss., Wednesday, April 27, 2011. The home and one next to it were blown about 100 feet away. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

A steel frame is all that remains of the fuel stand at Cheatham's Grocery Store in Coy, Miss., following a tornado touchdown Wednesday, April 27, 2011. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Undeon Hardy cuts a section of pine that damaged the Longino, Miss., home of John Mullins following a tornado touchdown that caused several deaths nearby Wednesday, April 27, 2011. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Deputy Johnny Morell and Kirk Bowley escort John Wessinger from the remains of his home in the McCulley Mill Road area near Athens, Ala., following a large tornado. (AP Photo/The Decatur Daily, Gary Cosby Jr.)

Residents search for belongings in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Wednesday, April 27, 2011. (AP Photo/The Tuscaloosa News, Dusty Compton)

Homes and businesses are completely destroyed along 15th St. in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Wednesday, April 27, 2011. (AP Photo/The Tuscaloosa News, Dusty Compton)

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

An semi-truck lies on its side on 15th Street after a tornado ripped through Tuscaloosa, Ala. Wednesday, April 27, 2011. (AP Photo/The Tuscaloosa News, Michelle Lepianka Carter)

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The total death toll is at 280 and expected to rise. Alabama is the hardest hit with 194 fatalities, followed by Mississippi (33), Tennessee (33), Georgia (14), Virginia (5), and Kentucky (1).
That's the worst total since a 1974 tornado outbreak killed 315.
The Tuscaloosa News has running updates, including reports of about 500 people at a Red Cross shelter.
"We have neighborhoods that have been basically removed from the map," says Tuscaloosa Mayor Walter Maddox.
Click to see videos of the tornadoes.

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Scenes of the South's Devastation

Tuscaloosa looks something like a war zone

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