116 dead from Missouri tornado; more twisters possible

Weather forecasters scrambling to fathom the size of the tornado that hit Joplin on Sunday are warning that more violent weather could hit the region later today.

I do have a lot of concern for Tuesday and Wednesday," National Weather Service forecaster John Kurtz said Monday.

There likely will be a break in stormy weather early today as a stubborn low pressure system moves east, he said.

But another low now in the Rockies will combine with a dry line later today in Oklahoma and Kansas to spawn more storms, Kurtz said.

The oncoming storm system is moving slowly, so it likely won't arrive in southwest Missouri until tonight, he said.

What we're really concerned about is late tomorrow, into the evening hours and overnight," Kurtz said.

The system that is expected to move into the region follows the same pattern of storms that produced the EF-4 tornado that hit Joplin, he said.

It appears now the oncoming storm system might not be as intense, Kurtz said.

Thunderstorms could be strong enough to develop some isolated tornadoes, he said. The storms also will produce large hail and damaging winds. Flooding also will be a concern into Wednesday morning.

We hope that there are people alive. We have a number of apartment buildings, complexes that are almost completely flattened. So we anticipate finding more people, and hopefully we'll get there in time to find them alive," Woolston said.

Hale said Tuesday that she still hasn't slept since Sunday afternoon, when she didn't know whether her family across town had survived.

"I was hysterical. There's no words to describe not knowing if my family was alive," she said. "The only things left standing in their house was their bathtub and the toilet."

Her mother and grandparents did survive -- by huddling in the bathtub.

The tornado chewed through a densely populated area of the city, damaging or destroying 2,000 buildings, eliminated a high school and made a direct hit on one of the two hospitals in the city.

Based on preliminary estimates, the twister carried winds between 190 and 198 mph, National Weather Service director Jack Hayes said.

More than 1,000 law enforcement officers from four states descended on Joplin to help with disaster response, said Collin Stosberg, a spokesman for the Missouri State Highway Patrol. More than 250 National Guard members were on the scene

Richard Serino, the second-ranking official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said President Barack Obama has issued a disaster declaration -- expediting the dispersal of federal resources to the area -- while vowing that "we are going to be here for the long haul."

The flood of aid from strangers and volunteers has helped ease the misery in Joplin.

"I've seen good-heartedness the past 24 hours like I've never seen in my life," Hale said. "As much help that has poured out from the nation, we need. We need the help."

Woolston, the mayor, pledged not to let the tornado ruin his city.

"This is just not the type of community that's going to let a little F4 tornado kick our a**. So we will rebuild, and we will recover.