Tornadoes Strew Death, Destruction across South; Nearly 300 Dead

"The death toll soared to near 300 Thursday as rescuers dug through rubble from Mississippi to Virginia in the nation’s deadliest natural disaster since Hurricane Katrina.

It was what they call a tornado outbreak, something rarely seen on such a scale. Not since April 3, 1974, has the United States witnessed so much destruction from twisters, and tornado experts say Wednesday, April 27, 2011, may go down in history as the most destructive outbreak in eight decades."

Joel Achenbach and Michael E. Ruane report for the Washington Post April 28, 2011.

SEE ALSO:

"GOP's Continuing Resolution Cuts Funding for National Weather Service, FEMA" (Slate)

"Obama To Visit Alabama" (VOA)

Science Asks What's Going on With Cluster of Tornado Clusters? (New York Times)

"The cruelty of this particular April, in the number of tornadoes recorded, is without equal in the United States. The record for the month has been shattered, and preliminary assessments say that of the four biggest clusters ever recorded, two have occurred in the last three weeks. What is happening here?" Kirk Johnson reports for the New York Times April 28, 2011.

"Tornado Outbreak for the Record Books: How Did Deadly, Destructive Event Happen And What Does It Mean?" (Capital Weather Gang/Wash Post)

"Tornado Destruction And Deaths Stun The South" (Los Angeles Times)

"Southern Tornadoes Are Historic, Deadly" (Nashville Tennessean)

Opinion: "A Cost of Denying Climate Change: Accelerating Climate Disruptions, Death, and Destruction" (Huffington Post)

"National Weather Service Trains Army of Weather Spotters" (ABC 2 WBAY Green Bay)

"Warming Behind Wild Tornado Season?" (LiveScience/MSNBC)