11:13 a.m. UPDATE: Death toll now seven
(NBC News: Jay Gray) - Search and recovery teams are still pouring through rubble across eight states Monday morning after a deadly storm system spawned dozens of tornadoes and leveled communities from the Deep South through Michigan.
Central Illinois took the most severe hit.
The storms that tore through this area killed at least six people. And there is concern early Monday morning, that number could climb as recovery teams continue to assess the full extent of the damage.
The devastation is wide spread and overwhelming.
“Within less than a minute, everything started collapsing inside the house, cracking and sputtering and the next thing we know it's light inside the house," said Steve Bucher, a Washington, Ill. resident.
At least six people are dead and dozens are injured after a string of violent storms, including 40 tornadoes or more, ripped across eight states Sunday.
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"All of a sudden the wind really started picking up," Bucher recalled.
When it finally stopped, communities like Washington and New Minden were for the most part wiped away.
"It's pretty bad in terms of people not being able to stay in their home, you know, the roofs are gone, the church steeple is gone, some damage on the inside and, yeah i would say it's pretty bad," Candi Cross, Mayor of New Menden said.
A path of splintered homes and communities leveled by the intense storms stretches from Kentucky through Michigan where more than 250,000 families were left without power. Although they understand, hundreds of families have lost a lot more.
FEMA teams are on the ground here and across the region, and the White House has said the President continues to receive updates on the situation.
