TUSCALOOSA, Alabama --- The death toll from the powerful tornado that struck the center of the city Wednesday has risen to 36, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox announced this morning at a news conference.

"We have utter destruction," he said. "We have neighborhoods that have basically been removed from the map."
The number of injuries is more than 600 and approximately 44,000 homes are without power, Maddox said.
"We're in an urgent phase of search and rescue," Maddox said. "Our fire and rescue department has set out a grid search in three primary areas of the city that include Rosedale, Forest Lake, Cedar Crest and Alberta.
"We will not begin to shift over to the recovery phase until we are absolutely certain that everyone that is missing is accounted for."