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Forty-five people were killed in Alabama alone, authorities said, and President Barack Obama said in Washington that emergency aid assets would be forthcoming for that southeastern state.
Earlier, states of emergency were declared in Alabama; Arkansas; Kentucky; Mississippi -- where officials said 11 people were killed; Missouri; Tennessee; and Oklahoma. Governors called out the National Guard to help with rescue and cleanup operations.
The National Weather Service had preliminary reports of more than 110 tornado touchdowns between 1200 GMT Wednesday and 0200 GMT Thursday.
Especially hard-hit was the southern state of Alabama, hit by two lines of storms, one in the morning and one in the evening.