U.S News & World Report writes: "Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley said the hundreds of tornadoes that hit his state made for the worst natural disaster in years. The governor told CBS News that there has been massive devastation, especially across the northern part of the state, and 128 people have been confirmed dead. Bentley said Alabama's top priority is continuing to search for and rescue the missing. The state has dispatched 2,000 national guardsmen to aid in the search and rescue."

Alabama took the worst of the beating, with the death toll now lifted to 162 deaths there so far. Christian Science Monitor wondered why the state's death toll was so much higher: 

"'We were very prepared,... but it was just the force of the storms,' Bentley said. 'When a [large tornado] hits a highly populated area like Tuscaloosa, you cannot move thousands of people in five minutes. When an F4 or F5 tornado hits, there's not much you can do to change the outcome of that.' As measured by a tornado ranking system, F4 and F5 tornadoes are the most intense, rated by the damage a tornado causes after passing over a manmade structure."

It continued: "As many as 1 million residents are without power – and hundreds, if not more, are without homes."

The Washington Post published video of the tornado as it passed through Tuscaloosa.

Obama will travel to Alabama Friday to meet Gov. Bentley and survey the damage.