Southeast States Will Seek Aid as Storm Toll Rises

The death toll from violent thunderstorms and tornadoes that ripped across the Southeast on Palm Sunday rose to 43 Monday as special teams in Alabama and Georgia combed through devastated communities to assess the damage.

The governors of those two states are expected to call on the federal government for economic assistance because many residents who lost their homes are poor and have no insurance. More than 450 homes were reported destroyed in Georgia alone.

Twenty of the victims were fatally injured when the roof collapsed during services at the Goshen Methodist Church near Piedmont, Ala. The 4-year-old daughter of the church pastor was among six children killed there.

Portions of the Carolinas remained under a tornado watch Monday evening, and rain continued to fall across the region.

Crews in north Georgia replaced torn roofs and used chain saws to cut through trees that were blocking roads. The region was littered with cars, roofs, uprooted trees and about 1.5 million dead chickens.