[T.j. Holmes, Cnn Anchor:] Good morning. The NFL is closed for business again. Just days after one legal decision lifted the lockout, another last night put it right back in place. Also, Donald Trump getting attention again for his words, specifically this time, four letter words. I'll share his profanity- laced tirade to a group of women. Welcome, everybody, to this
[Cnn Saturday Morning, 6:] 00 a.m. here in Atlanta where I am. It's 5:00 a.m. in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and that's where we must start this morning, in communities across the South, where the death toll from this week's tornado outbreak just went up a few hours ago. It now stands at 340 people killed now, making it the second deadliest tornado event since records have been kept. The toll could rise again with hundreds of people still unaccounted for. Emergency officials, though, want to stress that all those people aren't necessarily missing, rather you can probably chalk some of it up to the fact that there's been a loss of power and a lot of people seeking shelter elsewhere. This was, no doubt, a truly historic tornado event maybe we're just getting a good handle on. Look at that, we wipe to the before and then after picture of what it looked like in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. You see that line right there, the green all around there, this is the path of the destruction. It was a clear line. This tornado, at least one, that was reported, was on the ground and just tore through a particular area or for hundreds of miles even, just shot across several states. Look at that, you can see clearly it was on the ground and it formed a straight line in the destruction that it did have. Again, this was a historic event that maybe we are still days afterwards, getting a good handle on exactly how historic it was. Also, I want share with you an iReport. This is from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Look at this video. A lot of this stuff is still coming in to us. A lot has been going on in the news in a past couple days and maybe a lot you haven't seen just yet. But we're trying to still understand what happened to our friends in the South and understand the scope of what happened. This was just one of a number of tornadoes. In all, some 211 tornadoes reported across six states in the South. That would be the largest outbreak of tornadoes in history. Some of them measured at EF-5. That is the strongest category with winds in excess of 200 miles an hour. Oftentimes, natural disasters we cover earthquakes, right, we hear about the epicenter. For this tornado event, maybe the epicenter a lot of people are looking towards Tuscaloosa. We are hearing a lot of stories, certainly stories of tragedy, but also some stories of survival including one guy who rode the storm out in a bathtub.
[Chris Wozniak, Tornado Survivor:] When I went outside and looked this way, you know, the tornado was just filled the horizon. There was a spot of daylight on either side and just the rest of it was just a wall of tornado. You couldn't see anything. It was literally coming directly at me and that's when, you know, I ran back into the house and attached the dogs to me, grabbed the motorcycle on me and put it on and I got in the tub. The ground was rumbling and then the house started to shake violently. And I knew at that point I was going to get just directly hit. And, you know, it was a real thing. I couldn't believe it, it's like I am not in a tornado. You know, it just doesn't seem like that should happen, you know? And but, you know, being inside the bathroom, which had no windows, you know, I thought I'm going to get trapped in this little room. And, you know, I didn't know if it was the right thing to do, but I thought, you know, maybe if I open the door, I'll have some kind of an escape hatch. So, when I opened the door, the front of the house flew away and then that Krispy Kreme truck sailed through upside down, right through the living room, and then the roof blew off and I ducked down and pushed the dogs down as best as I could inside the tub. At that point, you know, the back of the house also blew out and the dogs got sucked out. They were like kite on a string, you know, but they were tethered to me on their leashes and I was able to just hang on to them and push them down, you know? And then the rest of the house just fell on us.
[Holmes:] All right. My friend Reynolds Wolf is in Tuscaloosa this morning, where he has been the past couple days. Reynolds, good morning to you. Let me start with this is there a belief that possibly there could be people trapped under some of this debris and rubble who are waiting for somebody to come by and pluck them out?
[Reynolds Wolf, Ams Meteorologist:] Very much so. There's certainly that possibility. But the issue that we're running into now, T.J., is because so much time has passed, and we're going on 48 hours and even more We're going from a rescue operation to possibly a recovery mode, which is a tragic thing to contemplate. I mean, we're hoping to find people who have been first of all, we don't want people trapped but we're hoping we're going to find people who are just OK, that have been underneath some rubble. But as hour and hour passes, I mean, it's really getting very bleak. If you look behind me, this is actually the home where Chris Wozniak was trapped, way back there, beyond the branches, beyond the debris, beyond the insulation, and even some of the roofing materials. You'll find a bathtub which is almost at this point splintered in half, that's where he rode out the storm. And you're going to find piles of debris like this across the landscape not only in Alabama, but also in parts of Georgia, Tennessee, the Carolinas, Mississippi. Is there a chance there could be people that might be trapped under something like this? Absolutely. But again, time is of the essence. You got to get to them quickly. And, hopefully, that will be the case,
[T.j. Holmes:] Well, a lot of people, of course, lost their homes, Reynolds. Where at this point, where is everybody? Are there enough shelters for folks? Are people finding friends and family to stay with? Just where is everybody?
[Wolf:] That's a great question. The answer is kind of a strange one. In a way, it's very heartwarming. There have been some shelters that have opened up. But in a state like Alabama, where I happened to be from and I say this with a very biased heart in Alabama, everyone is family and there are people staying with other family members, people who were not friends before are now friends. People are lending hands they normally wouldn't and you got people staying in homes. And they're going to stay together, they're going to reach out and extend that help until this incredibly difficult time passes. But I'm telling you, right now, there are some people who are thinking about going home but their homes no longer exist. T.J., although this house has got rubble off in the darkness, we can't light the entire planet, I know it's very dark, there are some homes that are wiped completely clean, where you basically have just the foundation of the home, a cement slab and there's absolutely nothing left. Not a single timber, not a doorframe, nothing. It is just as if a giant broom had come along and just swept the entire thing clean. As I mentioned, I mean, there's some places that don't just exist anymore.
[Holmes:] All right. Reynolds Wolf, again, in his home state of Alabama I know you love that place, a lot of people do. But our hearts go out to our friends here in the South. Reynolds, we'll be checking in with you plenty throughout the morning. And to our viewers, we dedicated this morning to bringing you a number of personal stories from inside the battered communities across the south so many towns torn apart by these storms. Reynolds talking to us about Alabama. But, of course, it wasn't just in Alabama. We're on the ground in Tennessee and Mississippi which were hard hit as well. But, first, though, our Rafael Romo takes you through one community devastated in Georgia.
[Rafael Romo, Cnn Correspondent:] T.J., we're in a neighborhood in Ringgold. This is in Catoosa County in north Georgia. This is one of the most devastated areas by the tornado. This is a driveway. And as you can see, there's debris everywhere. Let me show you some of the things that we found here. First of all, take a look at this car and how badly damaged it was. That happened because what you see back there, that's part of a window, it used to be a trailer. It was lifted up by the strong winds and by the tornado, and was dropped on top of the car here in the middle of the driveway. The debris is all the way up until that house you see there. I was talking to the neighbor and he was telling me that even though the house is still standing, it's going to have to be demolished because the damage is just so bad. But one of the things that we have seen here is that people are coming together. We have noticed that people not only from here, but from neighboring counties, and neighboring cities, are coming to this area, helping people, bringing their equipment, trying to help each other. And so, that's the bright side of this tragedy that has happened here in this part of Georgia.
[Susan Candiotti, Cnn National Correspondent:] Now, William, this was to be your retirement home, huh?
[William Gambrell, Tornado Survivor:] Yes. See this green pick-up truck? It was parked next to that Saturn. The house was sitting right here on this foundation.
[Candiotti:] And where was the porch?
[Gambrell:] The porch was right here.
[Candiotti:] Right here. And now, it's over there?
[Gambrell:] You've got it.
[Candiotti:] Look at that.
[Gambrell:] Yes. And the foundation, look how far it pushed it back. It's unreal. You know, me and my wife was sitting in the living room at 6:00 watching the local news, and they said, tornado warning out
[Candiotti:] So, you just grabbed her?
[Gambrell:] I just grabbed her and I squeezed her and held on.
[Candiotti:] Held on for dear life.
[Gambrell:] Yes. But all that was running through my mind, this is it. It's over. But I am one lucky dog. I am one lucky dog. I ain't got no home, ain't got no truck, ain't got no car, but me and my wife and little dog Barney, we're still here. And what I'll do next, I don't know.
[Martin Savidge, Cnn Correspondent:] At the Piggly Wiggly Store, it's a free for all as in free for all. What the tornado didn't take of his family business of 30 years, Brian McGonagill is giving away. [on camera]: This stuff here, this is all being given away.
[Brian Mcgonagill:] Yes.
[Savidge:] Why?
[Mcgonagill:] That's what you do in a small town community, help people out. These are real good people in this small town and they all want to help each other.
[Savidge:] So, they are helping themselves, charities, ordinary people, whoever. And it's not as though he can afford the loss. On the contrary, he's very worried about the future for his store and his town. [on camera]: The store has been pulverized.
[Mcgonagill:] Totally devastated. Total loss.
[Savidge:] What do you think as a businessman?
[Mcgonagill:] It's scary, you know, the thing to come back to in this town. I'm sure all the businesses that are, you know, having that same thought, too. I was actually at my home.
[Savidge:] Like any good grocer, he knows his customers, especially now. [on camera]: And you know, I guess, who lives, who dies and who's made it out well and who hasn't?
[Mcgonagill:] Unfortunately, yes. Yes. I know a lot of people that's passed. It hurts. But we'll move home. You know, that's what we got to do.
[Savidge:] It's not all sadness. He jokes his office has a great view. [on camera]: I mean, can you laugh a little bit?
[Mcgonagill:] You have to, because I'm all cried out.
[Savidge:] And now, you understand why Brian McGonagill doesn't mind so much all he's lost.
[Mcgonagill:] That's what we want people to have.
[Savidge:] He's just glad for what was saved.
[Mcgonagill:] We made it through OK.
[Savidge:] Martin Savidge, CNN, Smithville, Mississippi.
[Holmes:] Well, I hate to go from disaster to disaster here, but seven weeks since that tsunami devastated northern Japanese coast, we are still getting new video, new pictures out of the destruction of that day. We have one now. I want you to listen to. I also want you to watch. This was another one that stood out to us. I'll share it with you. I mean, we have seen a lot of video out of this tsunami, but each video, new piece we get, seems just as remarkable or more than the next. Here is one that really stood out to us as well. You can see cars floating by. There was even a point we actually saw a helicopter in this water that was floating by as well. This is shot in a fishing village, Kesennuma, 250 miles north of Tokyo, a traditional fishing village, essentially just gone at this point. Also, I'll turn now to something happening in Rome today. Pope John Paul II, he is moving one step closer to sainthood this weekend. He'll be beatified in a ceremony at the Vatican. That means he becomes blessed, sainthood would be the next step. Some 300,000 people are expected in St. Peter's Square, but people will be gathering all around Rome for the events this weekend. We'll have much more on this ceremony and sainthood, the process itself, throughout the morning and also a little later in this show. Meanwhile, the space shuttle Endeavour sitting on the launch pad this morning. That's not where it was scheduled to be this morning. Yesterday's planned launch was scrubbed because of concerns over the shuttle's heating system. President Obama and Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords were both there, were there, expecting to see a launch. Giffords' husband, of course, Mark Kelly, is commanding the shuttle mission. The president still went there, even though he knew before he got there that the launch was going to be scrubbed, but he did get a chance to meet with the Giffords and the entire Endeavour crew. NASA now says Endeavour won't launch until Monday at the earliest. No word yet if Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords will be able to stick around and see it. Well, the FAA is shuffling some key veteran managers to new positions as a response to the recent reports of air traffic controllers sleeping on the job. At least three controllers have been fired in the last couple weeks. The FAA is also putting together a review panel to take a fresh look at controller training procedures. We'll turn back to London. You see that guy? It was that kind of day over there, was it not? My man is doing cartwheels outside of Westminster Abbey. That's a minister there. Just one of the things caught a lot of things to see, maybe some things you missed, but this was the conclusion or after the conclusion of the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. We'll have a little more on that throughout the morning as well. When I went to bed last night, the NFL lockout was over. When I woke up, the lockout was back in place. I'll explain the latest legal decision. Also, how young is too young? In 60 seconds, I will tell you about an 18-month-old who just signed a professional sports contract.