Tornadoes' toll at 270 and expected to rise

[jpak]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-deadly-tornadoes-alabama--20110429,0,659859.story

Officials on Thursday stepped up emergency relief efforts after the fiercest band of tornadoes in decades tore a gaping wound through Alabama and at least five other Southern states, causing hundreds of deaths and a wide band of destruction.

"This may be the worst natural disaster in Alabama's history," Gov. Robert Bentley told reporters during a day when his state's death toll began in the dozens and quickly rose to at least 180. With the loss of life reported in Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia and Kentucky, the toll stood at about 270 by mid-afternoon.

"We do expect that number to rise," Bentley said at a morning news conference where he and other officials were careful not to predict the final death toll. "We're sure it will."

Craig Fugate, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, pledged aid to the region where each state was handling its own search and rescue efforts. Fugate traveled to Alabama in the afternoon and his boss, President Obama will visit the state on Friday to meet with officials and victims, the White House said.

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[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Oh my goodness! That's so devastating. :^(

[jpak]

3. I have friends in Tuscaloosa - they are OK, but there are a lot of missing folks

in the hardest hit areas.

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. I can just imagine. After looking at those pictures.. it's amazing to me that

more aren't missing.

I'm so glad your friends are ok! :hug:

[Baclava]

2. I don't need a body count to tell me it was bad. I hate that.

It does get your attention though...stay safe in the new deep south hurricane alley.

Everyone should be aware of strong changing weather systems.

[gratuitous]

7. Please indulge my pet peeve

I realize the original post title was just quoting the headline of the story, but the "death toll expected to rise" formulation is the kind of lazy journalistic writing that just grates across my brain like fingernails scraping a chalkboard. OF COURSE the death toll will go up, unless you're expecting some of the dead to get better.

Okay. Done now. Back to your regularly scheduled expressions of concern over this horrible event.

[uppityperson]

8. I hate lazy journalism also. Thanks for the rant.

"shot dead" irks me. What? Maybe someone else is "shot alive"? I appreciate when other people have these pet peeves also.

[jpak]

9. Death Toll From US Tornados Rises to at Least 292

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/usa/At-Least-200-Killed-in-Violent-US-Storms-120860854.html

U.S. authorities say the number of people killed in a series of tornadoes and thunderstorms across the southern United States has risen to at least 292, making it the country's deadliest tornado outbreak in almost four decades.

Alabama Governor Robert Bentley says the tornadoes that struck his state on Wednesday killed at least 194 people, by far the highest toll of the eight southern states hit by deadly storms. Speaking Thursday, he said Alabama's final death toll may not be known for another day or two.

U.S. President Barack Obama said the loss of life has been "heartbreaking, especially in Alabama." In a White House address, he said the damage from the storms has been "catastrophic" and promised the federal government will do "everything it can" to help the region recover.

The National Weather Service says about 150 tornados tore through parts the southern states of Mississippi and Alabama on Wednesday. Alabama's city of Tuscaloosa was one of the hardest hit. Several buildings were flattened, and many city operations are unable to function.

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[gratuitous]

11. Dang

It's hard to conceive that a meteorological event could cause that much death in such a short time. Looks like Brethren Disaster Relief will have lots of projects for years to come.

[Warpy]

4. Some of the pictures from the air tell it all

There's nothing left of houses except foundations and slabs. No matter how securely people were wedged into an interior closet or bathroom, when that thing hit, there was no chance of survival.

The thing that makes tornado damage so much harder to deal with is the same thing the Japanese are going through after the tsunami: the damage happens in minutes and the devastation is total.

I hope the survivors get adequate help and that it arrives quickly.

[Baclava]

5. Pictures do tell a story

Tornados suck - one minute your house is there, the next, it's gone

[Dappleganger]

10. Prayers and postive vibes going out to the ones who lost family and friends.

I can't imagine the devastation. :(