173 Killed in Southern U.S. Storms

One of the worst storm systems in years wreaked havoc across Alabama and Mississippi before setting its sights on the East Coast.

Massive tornado-spawning storms tore a path through the southern United States on Wednesday, killing at least 173 people. The storm system, which killed 128 people in Alabama, 11 in Georgia, 32 in Mississippi, and one in each of Tennessee and Virginia, is expected to hit the Carolinas today before moving up the Atlantic coast. Tuscaloosa, Ala., home to the University of Alabama, was dealt some of the worst damage: 15 are dead, emergency rooms are overflowing, and entire neighbourhoods are virtually flattened. The U.S. National Guard has been deployed to Alabama to assist in clean-up and recovery operations.