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JUDY WOODRUFF: The search for
tornado victims is winding down
tonight in Eastern Alabama.

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Now survivors in Beauregard and
other communities face a long
road to recovery, after Sunday's

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twister blasted the region with
winds of 170 miles an hour.

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John Yang begins our coverage.

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JOHN YANG: Across Lee County,
Alabama, residents are coming to
grips with lives lost or forever

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changed in an instant.

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ANGELA LOCASCIO, Tornado Victim:
Feeling like you have to start
all over, like everything

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you worked hard for was gone.

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JOHN YANG: Angela Locascio is
grateful she and her family
survived the nation's deadliest

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tornado in six years.

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ANGELA LOCASCIO: Wondering why.

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But we know we can't
predict the weather.

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And we just got
out of harm's way.

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Luckily, we were one of the
lucky ones that got out.

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I had some friends and
family and co-workers
that didn't make it out.

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JOHN YANG: Today, authorities
released the names of
the 23 known victims.

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Seven came from a single family.

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The oldest victim
was 89 years old.

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The youngest, Armando "A.J."

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Hernandez, was just 6.

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WOMAN: There's been
loss of loved ones, God.

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There's been loss
of homes, lord.

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JOHN YANG: At Lee Scott Academy
in Auburn this morning, the
community united in prayer

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for another young life lost,
10-year-old Taylor Thornton,
a student at the school.

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Carol Dean sat in what's left
of the home she shared with
her husband, David Wayne Dean.

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It's also where he died.

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CAROL DEAN, Widow of Tornado
Victim: I really can't describe.

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He's just -- it was
just a special bond.

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He completed me,
and I completed him.

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He was the reason I lived,
the reason that I got up.

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JOHN YANG: Officials say the
search for more victims is
winding down and heavy equipment

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will be hauling away the debris.

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KATHY CARSON, Lee County
Emergency Management
Agency Director: This
has been an ordeal for

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all of us, but I'm going to tell
you, I think the people here
and the people who have come

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to help us have
performed admirably.

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JOHN YANG: As survivors
prepare to bury the dead,
and rebuild shattered lives.

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For the "PBS NewsHour,"
I'm John Yang.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: Joining me on
the phone now is Mayor Bubba
Copeland of Smiths Station,

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Alabama.

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It's a community just east of
Beauregard that is now grappling
with this tornado's devastating

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aftermath.

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Mayor Copeland, thank you
very much for talking with us.

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Tell us how your
community was affected.

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BUBBA COPELAND, Mayor of Smiths
Station, Alabama: We have a
town of 5,000, but a township of

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22,000 that represents
the greater populace
of Smiths Station.

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It's a 27-mile-long tornado.

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It was about two football fields
wide, 170-mile-per-hour winds.

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It -- everything in its path
pretty much was destroyed.

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It's hard to put into words,
besides the fact that I have
never been in a war zone, but

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I have seen a war zone,
and it's very familiar,
just total annihilation.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: It's
extraordinary that you
didn't have loss of life.

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BUBBA COPELAND: The
lord really blessed us.

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And it's unbelievable.

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It's a miracle.

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We had two injuries, but they
were not life-threatening.

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If you were here, you would
be even more amazed than you
would be just by saying it, just

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to see the destruction of houses
and homes and mobile homes.

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We're just so lucky
and so blessed to not
have any loss of life.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: How are you
helping the people who have lost
their homes and lost everything

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they have, or a lot of it?

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BUBBA COPELAND: Well, you know,
down in the Deep South, we
are great a country of people

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who come together.

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And what has happened is, is
15 minutes after this storm
come through, people just show

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up everywhere like angels.

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They just come and
they volunteer.

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Today, we had people from
South Carolina, Florida,
Georgia, North Carolina.

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They just drove down with
heavy equipment and began just
clearing people's houses, yards

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away, so people can actually
get out of their houses and get
to where they could go to the

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store or what have you.

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We also organized
an effort with EMA.

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Also, Red Cross is here,
as well as the Alabama
Forestry Commission is here.

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The Alabama National
Guard is here.

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Tomorrow, we're expecting
FEMA to come, hopefully,
if the president declares
an emergency, and

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they will come in
and help us rebuild.

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Right now, we're
organizing our efforts.

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But the community
is pulling together.

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And we're trying to help people
get the clothes they need.

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We have fire stations that are
open for showers and clothes,
and we have churches that are

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coming in and feeding
people that don't have food.

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A lot of people can't
get out, so we're taking
food to where they're at.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: How do you
process, Mayor Copeland,
that just, what, as
we said, 15 miles away

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in Beauregard, where there was,
what, 23 people at least died,
how do you process that it

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had that impact there, but
your community, even though
there was a lot of damage, was

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spared in terms of loss of life?

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BUBBA COPELAND: Our hearts go
out to the Beauregard community.

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They're part of Lee County.

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We're all part of
Lee County, Alabama.

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And our hearts are so heavy
for them, with three children
being lost and whole families

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being lost.

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Words can't describe
the sadness.

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This is a very, very
sad day in Lee County.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, our hearts
go out to all of you, certainly
to them, and to everyone

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who has experienced a
loss in your community.

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Mayor Bubba Copeland of Smiths
Station, Alabama, thank you
very much for talking with us.

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BUBBA COPELAND: Thank you.

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It's an honor.

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Thank you.