BIRMINGHAM: Tornadoes and storms carved a trail of destruction across the southern United States, killing over 220 people in one of region's worst weather disasters in years, officials said Thursday.
The severe weather killed 131 people in the state of Alabama alone on Wednesday, authorities said, and President Barack Obama said Washington would be rushing assistance to the battered southeastern state.
States of emergency were declared in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Oklahoma, and governors called out the National Guard to help with rescue and cleanup operations.
In all, state officials reported at least 227 people dead, but as the residents and emergency workers began to mop up and assess the damage the toll was likely to rise.
The National Weather Service (NWS) had preliminary reports of more than 300 tornados since storms began Friday, including more than 130 on Wednesday alone.
Alabama was especially badly hit, caught by two lines of storms and an evening tornado that tore through the city of Tuscaloosa, home to the University of Alabama.
Tuscaloosa Mayor Walter Maddox told CNN the tornado had "obliterated blocks and blocks" of his city, leaving 36 people dead there.
"Infrastructure has been absolutely devastated," he said Thursday. "When you look at this path of destruction, likely five to seven miles (eight to 11 kilometers) long and half a mile to a mile wide, I don't know how anyone survived.
"There are parts of this city I don't recognize.... It is a dark hour for our city," he added.
A tornado also struck the city of Birmingham. "This has been a very serious and deadly event that's affected our state, and it's not over yet," Alabama Governor Robert Brantley told reporters.
Stunned Birmingham residents assessed the damage early Thursday, some counting their blessings to still be alive, others distraught over the loss of their loved ones or homes.
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