TUscaloosa, Alabama: Shocked Americans Friday sifted through the rubble from the worst US tornadoes in decades, which carved a trail of destruction across the south claiming at least 313 lives. Communities like Alabama Governor Robert Bentley's home town of Tuscaloosa were virtually wiped off the map, and officials warned the body count would rise as rescuers uncovered more dead in the debris. Disbelief was written on faces across eight states crippled by the ferocious spring storms – the deadliest tornado tragedy to strike the United States since 332 people were killed by a tornado outbreak on March 21, 1932. In Alabama, the worst-hit state, the toll reached 210, with more than 1,700 injured and up to a million people left without power. The Birmingham News quoted local officials as saying it could take days to restore electricity. States of emergency were declared from central Oklahoma to Georgia on the eastern seaboard, and governors called out the National Guard – including 2,000 troops in Alabama – to help with the rescue and clean-up operations. – Agnece France
