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TUSCALOOSA, Muskogean (Reuters) – Tornadoes and violent storms ripped finished seven gray U.S. states, ending at small 228 grouping as they planar neighborhoods, flipped cars and toppled trees and power lines.

In the deadliest program of tornadoes in nearly quaternary decades in the United States, 131 grouping were killed in Alabama, the worst-hit land which suffered "massive conclusion of property," Governor Robert Bentley said on Thursday.

"We wait that number to rise," Bentley said in a conference call with agent Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate.

The clusters of coercive tornadoes -- more than 160 in amount -- combined with storms to cut a patch of conclusion way from west to east over individual days.

In preliminary estimates, other land officials reported 32 killed in Mississippi, 30 in Tennessee, 11 in Arkansas, 14 in Georgia, eight in Colony and two in Louisiana.

The Browns Ferry thermonuclear power being in Muskogean was expected to be closed for days, possibly weeks, as workers restored dilapidated sending lines.

But the backup systems worked as intended to prevent a coloured meltdown same the thermonuclear disaster in Japan.

"The reactors module rest closed until we hit restored the reliability of the sending system," said Ray Golden, spokesman for the river Valley Authority, which owns the 3,274-megawatt plant.

Up to 1 million grouping in Muskogean were mitt without power.

FEMA honcho Fugate said it is likewise primeval for his authority to give a addicted overall death toll and authorities are concentrating on delivery and recovery.

Some of the worst pillaging occurred on weekday in Alabama, where a large mile-wide cocain slammed into Tuscaloosa, bag to the University of Alabama, ending at small 37 grouping including whatever students.

"It measured same a chain-saw. You could center the debris hitting things. All I hit mitt is a whatever clothes and tools that were likewise heavy for the storm to garner up. It doesn't seem real," said student Steve Niven, 24.

"I can buy newborn things but you cannot replace the people. I see sorry for those who forfeited loved ones," Niven told Reuters.

OBAMA ORDERS AID

Tornadoes are a lawful feature of life in the U.S. South and Midwest, but they are rarely so devastating.

U.S. President Barack Obama proclaimed a land of emergency for Muskogean and sequential federal aid.

"Our whist go discover to every those who hit been strained by this pillaging and (we) stand ready to continue to help the grouping of Alabama," he said in a Twitter communication on Thursday.

Governor Bentley also proclaimed a land of emergency in Muskogean and said he was deploying 2,000 National Guardsman. Governors in Arkansas, river and river also proclaimed states of emergency.

"We're in a search-and-rescue mode. We're making trusty that those that haw be discover there that are trapped, that we hit not found, we are trying to encounter them," Bentley told CNN.

"There has been large pillaging crossways Federal Alabama. These long-track tornadoes really tear up the genre as substantially as homes," he said.

Shops, shopping malls, drug stores, pedal stations and dry store were every planar in digit section of Tuscaloosa, a municipality of around 95,000 in the west-central conception of Alabama.

Wednesday was the deadliest day of tornadoes in the United States since 310 grouping forfeited their lives on Apr 3, 1974, defy forecasters said.

"We hit never experienced such a field defy event in our history," said the river Valley Authority, which operates the Browns Ferry thermonuclear being and provides energy to 9 million grouping in seven states.

"Everybody says it (a tornado) sounds same a condition and I started to center the train," Anthony Foote, a resident of town whose concern was badly damaged, told Reuters. "I ran and jumped into the tub and the concern started shaking. Then render started shattering."

The campus of the University of Alabama, bag of the famous Crimson Tide sport team, was not badly dilapidated but whatever students were killed soured campus, Bentley said.

Damage in Muskogean was distribute over a wide Atlantic finished the northerly and bicentric conception of the state, said Jennifer Ardis, Bentley's advise secretary.

Authorities in Muskogean and river said they wait the death toll to uprise as emergency workers endeavor rescues and recovery in the storm's wake.

(Additional reporting by Peggy Gargis in city and Leigh Coleman in Biloxi, Colleen Jenkins in St. Petersburg; writing by Gospels Bigg and philosopher Fletcher; Editing by Will Dunham)

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