Rain added to the misery of those in several Southern states trying to salvage what they could from homes badly damaged by deadly twisters, leaving them shivering in unseasonable temperatures in the low 50s (around 10 Celsius), according to AP. Becky Curtis sat in the bathroom, one of the only dry spots in her small red-brick apartment in gray, chilly, Tuscaloosa on Tuesday, sorting through old cassette tapes. In another room, rain dripped through holes in the ceiling onto her hardwood floors. "We're trying to get all this stuff out of here as fast as we can to save some mementoes," she said. The rain "definitely does not help." Though the sun was supposed to be out again Wednesday in Birmingham, temperatures the next couple days are forecast to be cooler there and in other areas of the South where many lost everything, including coats, sweat shirts and sweaters, leaving them with little to protect themselves from the chill. The rain also didn't make the grim search for possibly more bodies under splintered homes and businesses any easier. The death toll in Alabama was reduced after officials started counting again because they were worried some of the victims might have been tallied twice. Officials believe 236 people died in Alabama, accounting for about two-thirds of the 328 people killed in all, making it the country's deadliest twister outbreak since the 1930s Great Depression. The financial and economic toll is far from being calculated. Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley said Tuesday that his state - that he had presided over for just 100 days when the tornadoes hit - is facing an unprecedented rebuilding effort, with more than half of the state's counties declared disaster areas. -- SPA
