Power was out and trees were down all across the Northeast after the pre-Halloween blizzard Saturday night. Some towns were completely (100%) without electrical power and may remain so for days to come. National Grid, WMECO and other power companies are working round the clock and have brought crews in from as far away as Michigan to help repair the damage.

See the following pictures for an example of the power of the storm.

Thunderstorms and a series of tornadoes rode down hard on Alabama yesterday,  killing at least 175 people, across Alabama and at least 4 other states, including Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The brutal weather took out most of its fury on Alabama where the greater portion of the deaths occurred, where the death toll has been set at 128 so far. The City of Tuscaloosa, by itself, accounted for over 30 of the deaths. In one heart-breaking story from Mississippi, an off-duty police officer was killed when he used his body to protect his little girl from a tree that had been knocked over during the storm.

Infrastructure is gone.  The heart of the city has been leveled. They have lost the trucks and equipment needed even to start digging themselves out of this mess. There is no way to move the rubble and clear the wreckage. Meanwhile, citizens may be trapped and/or in need of medical care that is being frustrated by the number of roads that are completely impassable.

Check out this video of the tornado, estimated to be one-and-a-half miles wide:

President Obama has declared the region under a State of Emergency and the National Guard has been dispatched to the most critical areas in the northern part of the state. Shelters are being opened all over the area to accommodate those left homeless by the storms.

Our thoughts and prayers go out tonight to those affected by the storm, their families and friends. And also, to the Police, Fire & Emergency personnel and National Guardsmen and other rescue/relief workers, placing themselves in harm’s way in order to help. Against that power, tornadoes cannot win.