U. S. Tornado Outbreak was Biggest in History with 226 Twisters in Just One Day
- Storm is the second-deadliest tornado-related tragedy in U.S. history
- So many people missing death toll could end up beating record of 747
- Homeland Security Secretary pledges 'complete' support
- Moving tributes paid to the hundreds who are dead
- There were more tornadoes in a single day in America last week than any other day in history.
The tally in last week's outbreak came to 312 tornadoes, including a record-setting 226 in one day.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the largest previous number on record in a 24-hour period occurred on April 3-4, 1974, with 148 tornadoes.
NOAA says 334 people were killed during the 24-hour-period from 8am Wednesday to Thursday.
More people were killed by tornadoes in that period since April 5-6, 1936, when 454 people died, mostly in Tupelo, Mississippi, and Gainesville, Georgia.
And it was the deadliest single day for tornadoes since the March 18, 1925, tornado outbreak that had 747 fatalities across seven states.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano toured hard-hit neighbourhoods of Alabama and Mississippi on Sunday to offer condolences and pledge support.
'This is not going to be a quick comeback or an immediate (recovery) but it will be, in my view, a complete one,' she said in shattered Smithville, Mississippi, where little was left standing.
Federal officials already have said several areas are eligible for disaster relief, including 28 counties in Alabama and four in Tennessee.