(States Twitter)-CORDOVA, Ala. -- Rachel Mitchell drove through what was left of her small northwest Alabama town, pointing out the places where familiar landmarks have been all but obliterated by one of last week's tornadoes.
Earlier this week, one of the deadliest storm systems in decades battered the region with flash floods and dozens of tornadoes. Alabama was hardest hit, with 249 fatalities. There were also 36 deaths in Mississippi, 34 in Tennessee, 15 in Georgia, five in Virginia, two in Louisiana and one in Kentucky.
Tuscaloosa Mayor Walter Maddox said there were 39 fatalities, more than a thousand injuries, more than 5,700 structures affected and 570 people reported missing in his city alone.
As the rescue and relief efforts continued through much of seven states, officials braced for what was being called a humanitarian crisis. Hundreds of thousands of people remained without power; usable water was in demand. In hard-hit Tuscaloosa, the University of Alabama decided to end the school year early.
Across the region, Sunday church services were expected to fill with those mourning the dead and seeking healing and consoling as a community.
These communities are now trying to recover, but it's not easy. Nothing is as it was. Loved ones are gone; neighbors are missing. Search operations continue for the missing, and curfews are in force to prevent looting. Thousands of homes are still without power.
The president's short visit came a day after he signed a major disaster declaration for Alabama, making federal funding available to individuals, businesses and local governments to help cover the costs of property damage and losses. He has dispatched Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administrator Craig Fugate to the state.
Tuscaloosa has launched a new website to allow people to report missing persons as five cadaver teams searched through rubble for more victims, Maddox said. A curfew was in effect in the city for the weekend, and residents were advised to boil water before using it.
But planning funerals was a struggle for many as they dealt with destroyed homes. There were also 35 deaths in Mississippi, 34 in Tennessee, 15 in Georgia, five in Virginia, two in Louisiana and one in Kentucky.
The tornado had a maximum width of half a mile and a path length of 2.82 miles. Of 34 deaths and 160 injuries reported in Mississippi, 14 deaths and 40 injuries were in Monroe County where Smithville is located. Fourteen people were still reported missing as of Friday night.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that there were 211 tornadoes that hit the region Wednesday into Thursday. The largest previous number of tornadoes on record in one event took place from April 3-4, 1974, with 148 tornadoes.
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