Britain’s Prince William

Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, wave as they travel in the 1902 State Landau carriage along the Processional Routeto Buckingham Palace after their wedding service, in London, on April 29. The newlyweds are preparing for their honeymoon after a wedding watched across the world, but their destination is secret and they want the media to respect their privacy

Kate Middleton waves as she

Kate Middleton waves as she arrives at the West Door of Westminster Abbey in London for her wedding to Britain’s Prince William. With pies, sandwichesand pints of beer, British expats celebrated the royal wedding in the sunny southwest of France, where thousands have settled seeking a simpler, country life.

Britain’s Prince William

In this image taken from video, Britain’s Prince William, left, sings with his wife, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, at Westminster Abbey for the RoyalWedding in London on Friday, April, 29, 2011. (AP Photo/APTN) EDITORIAL USE ONLY NO ARCHIVE PHOTO TO BE USED SOLELY TO ILLUSTRATE NEWS REPORTING OR COMMENTARY ON THE FACTS OR EVENTS DEPICTED IN THIS IMAGE

His wife, Kate

In this image taken from video, Britain’s Prince William, right, kisses his wife, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, from the balcony of Buckingham Palaceafter the Royal Wedding in London on Friday, April, 29, 2011. (AP Photo/APTN) EDITORIAL USE ONLY NO ARCHIVE PHOTO TO BE USED SOLELY TO ILLUSTRATE NEWS REPORTING OR COMMENTARY ON THE FACTS OR EVENTS DEPICTED IN THIS IMAGE

Britain’s Prince William

Britain’s Prince William kisses his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, on the balcony of Buckhingham Palace, after their wedding service.

Big question: Where will William, Kate honeymoon?

LONDON – The big question the day after the royal wedding is where Prince William and Kate Middleton will go on their honeymoon.

William has two weeks off from the Royal Air Force, but palace officials have given no clue as to where the newlyweds may head off to. Officials have said the couple are likely to leave London on Saturday.

They can choose from a wide variety of destinations, including the queen’s vast estates in Scotland, private islands in the Caribbean and African hideaways. Some reports have indicated the couple may also tour Jordan.

The new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were married Friday in an opulent ceremony at Westminster Abbey.

Obama promises help to rebuild tornado-hit South

 President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, and their two daughters  Malia and Shasha, walk toward 

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama (Reuters) – President Barack Obama promised federal aid on Friday to the tornado-ravaged South, where deadly twisters have killed at least 339 people and caused billions of dollars in damage.

Obama toured smashed homes and met survivors on a visit to the worst-hit state, Alabama. It was one of seven southern states mauled by recent tornadoes and storms which have caused insured losses of between $2 billion and $5 billion, according to one catastrophe risk modeler’s estimate.

“We are going to do everything we can to help these communities rebuild,” Obama told reporters in Tuscaloosa, a university city in Alabama that was devastated by the tornadoes.

The destruction inflicted this week by the twisters, which flattened whole neighborhoods, was the deadliest natural catastrophe since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

“I have never seen devastation like this. It is heartbreaking,” said Obama, accompanied by his wife Michelle and Alabama Governor Robert Bentley. “This is something I don’t think anyone has seen before.”

[ For complete coverage of politics and policy, go to Yahoo! Politics ]

 

In Alabama, emergency officials again raised the death toll from the tornadoes in that state, to 238. Bentley said 1,700 people were injured.

At least 101 more deaths were reported across Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia, Virginia and Louisiana.

Children were among the victims.

FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate said it was feared the number of deaths would rise as states searched for many people unaccounted for. But the number of missing was not clear.

“We can’t bring those who’ve been lost back. They’re alongside God at this point … but the property damage, which is obviously extensive, that’s something we can do something about,” Obama said.

“With initial reports of buildings destroyed approaching 10,000, property insurance losses are expected to range from $2 to $5 Billion,” catastrophe risk modeling company EQECAT said.

“Tornado activity in April is putting 2011 into the record books,” it said, adding that the recent tornado outbreak had involved “hundreds of touchdowns, some tornado tracks reported to be almost a mile wide and tens of miles long causing hundreds of fatalities”.

Obama was eager to show that federal relief is on its way and that he is not taking the disaster lightly. His predecessor George W. Bush was fiercely criticized for what was viewed as a slow response to Hurricane Katrina.

Flying into Tuscaloosa aboard Air Force One, Obama and his family saw a wide brown scar of devastation several miles (kilometers) long and hundreds of yards (meters) wide.

Tuscaloosa resident Jack Fagan, 23, was glad that Obama saw the damage. “Perhaps federal funds will help us, but I’m sure it will take longer than they say because it always does.”

Recovery could cost billions of dollars and even with federal disaster aid it could complicate efforts by affected states to bounce back from recession.

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

NUCLEAR PLANT SHUT, INDUSTRIES DAMAGED

The tornadoes hit Alabama’s poultry industry — the state is the No. 3 U.S. chicken producer — and hurt other manufacturers in the state.

They also halted coal production at the Cliffs Natural Resources mine in Alabama.

The second-biggest U.S. nuclear power plant, the Browns Ferry facility in Alabama, may be down for weeks after its power was knocked out and the plant automatically shut, avoiding a nuclear disaster, officials said.

Apparel producer VF Corp, owner of clothing brands such as North Face and Wrangler Jeans, said one of its jeanswear distribution centers, located in Hackleburg, Alabama, was destroyed and one employee killed.

In Tuscaloosa, the twisters, including one a mile-wide, cut a path of destruction, reducing houses to rubble, flipping cars and knocking out utilities. The death count was expected to rise with many bodies still trapped under debris.

“We are bringing in the cadaver dogs today,” said Heather McCollum, assistant to Tuscaloosa’s mayor. She put the death toll in the city at 42 but said it could rise.

Of the more than 150 tornadoes that rampaged from west to east across the South this week, the National Weather Service confirmed that one that struck Smithville in Mississippi’s Monroe County on Wednesday was a rare EF-5 tornado, with winds reaching 205 miles per hour.

This is the highest rating on the Enhanced Fujita scale that measures tornado intensity.

“The homes here are made well … but when you are talking about a direct hit, it does not matter,” Monroe County Sheriff Andy Hood said. “Right now, those homes are slabs of concrete. There is nothing left.”

Across the South, many people were made homeless by the tornadoes and stayed in shelters. Some residents provided food, water and supplies to neighbors whose homes were destroyed.

Tuscaloosa resident Antonio Donald, 50, received help. “I got no light, no water. I have a newborn baby at home, a daughter who is pregnant and an 88-year-old aunt,” he said.

The storms left up to 1 million homes in Alabama without power. Water and garbage collection services were also disrupted in some areas.

Alabama’s Jefferson County, which is fighting to avoid what would be the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history, suffered damage and 19 dead but said the storms would have little direct impact on its struggling finances because federal grants were expected.

Why Were the Southern Tornadoes So Deadly?

Reuters – An aerial view of tornado damage shows entire block of homes in ruins in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, April 28, …

 

Tornado-related deaths have declined dramatically over the past few decades due to improved forecasts and better warnings, but the massive outbreak on April 27 killed hundreds across the Deep South. What happened?

The bottom line: Massive tornadoes hit populated cities head-on. Forecasters had warned of an “insane” storm system for days, so it’s unlikely that the tornadoes caught many by surprise. But with few basements in Dixie Alley, not many places were safe in the paths of tornadoes that had nearly 200-mph (322-kph) winds. Even solidly built houses were swept away. Many entire neighborhoods were completely obliterated. [The Tornado Damage Scale in Images]

“The truth is, even if you did everything you were supposed to do, unless you were in an underground bunker, you weren’t going to survive,” James Spann of the ABC affiliate in Birmingham, Ala., told the New York Times.

Vicious twisters

On Wednesday, more than 150 tornadoes were reported in the southeastern United States. Bob Henson, a meteorologist with the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., said he “wouldn’t at all be surprised,” to see some of those storms rated as EF-5, the highest rating on the Enhanced Fujita Damage scale, with winds faster than 200 mph.

Already, one tornado that killed 14 people in Smithville, Miss., has been given the top rating, the first EF-5 in the United States in three years.

The deadly combination of strength and location, with the populous cities of Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, Ala., has created one of the highest death tolls in decades.

“Any tornado going through the heart of the city like that is going to cause major damage,” Henson told OurAmazingPlanet.

Historic outbreak

The latest outbreak wasn’t just a few tornadoes in a few small towns. Preliminary reports suggest that this outbreak could be among the biggest of all time. Tornadoes roared on the ground for hours and traveled miles between cities. One twister may have traveled the 60 miles (97 kilometers) from Tuscaloosa, Ala., to Birmingham.

“It looks like it was a very long-track tornado and those don’t happen that often,” Henson said.

That tornado could be responsible for most of Alabama’s 228 reported fatalities. When the damage assessments are finished, the deadly outbreak will likely be the deadliest since 1974, when 308 people were killed. The deadliest outbreak of all time is believed to be the Tri-State Tornado of March 18, 1925, which killed 695 people in Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.

Those massive death tolls are rare today. Tornado-related deaths have plummeted as forecasts and warnings have become more precise. The 2000 to 2009 average for annual tornado-related fatalities is 62, according to the National Climatic Data Center.

Deadly Dixie

Dixie Alley, the focus of this year’s tornado season, is notoriously deadly. Even a small tornado there can be deadly.

Unlike the flat, grass-covered plains of Tornado Alley, tornadoes are hard to see in Dixie Alley. Trees and hilly terrain obscure funnel clouds, a problem made even worse by the region’s high rate of nighttime tornadoes, which can hit when people are sleeping.

Often, tornadoes can be cloaked in rain, hiding even the most massive twisters.

To make matters worse, Dixie Alley is home to many manufactured houses and mobile homes that have weak walls and poor — or nonexistent — foundations. Before the April 27 outbreak, more than half of this year’s tornado-related deaths had occurred in mobile homes.

Storm surveys are still ongoing, but it’s likely that mobile home deaths were common during the most recent tornado outbreak as well.