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Alabama Tornadoes Roundup: 05/01

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The cleanup hit high gear on Saturday. Photo by Alex Gilbert

The total number of fatalities in the state now stands at 250 with Tuscaloosa's number holding at 39, according to Alabama EMA. The Tuscaloosa Police Department is slated to release the names of the deceased later today.We urge you to stop by The Tuscaloosa New's web memorial page for the victims to get an idea of how devastating the loss of life has been.

Yesterday Alabama saw an incredible widespread, and almost completely spontaneous, outpouring of support for those affected by the tornadoes last Wednesday. As a result there are now a LOT of resources out there for folks looking for how to help. Which is great but can be a bit daunting for anyone looking for an answer to a specific question. Here's where we've been relying on to make sense of it all.

The Disaster Relief for Alabama index website: This is, by far, the most comprehensive source for information concerning all relief efforts. Hosted by the UA School of Library & Information Studies, it should be your first stop for any question about the disaster. Big kudos for Brittany Turner and her crew for setting this up and keeping it up to date.

The Roll Bama Roll Alabama Tornadoes Twitter List: This is our ruthlessly edited collection of twitter feeds from folks taking part in the relief effort. Keeping tabs on this is the backbone of our coverage here. Feel free to follow it and suggest additions @rollbamaroll.

The Toomer's for Tuscaloosa Facebook page: This thing is the monster real-time resource on the internet. Its wall is relentlessly updated and keeping up can be a serious challenge. But if you want to know what is going on and where the needs are real time, this is it.

Now for the bad news, we're on the clock folks. The National Weather Service says rain is expected tomorrow night. ABC 33/40's James Spann assures us a repeat of the violent storms from last week is unlikely, but any precipitation is gonna be a hindrance to cleanup and a serious problem for people whose homes have been damaged/destroyed. So get out there and get some good deeds done today.

As usual, feel free to share any information you might have about the efforts in the comments. We especially would like to hear the stories of our regular readers - both those who have been affected by the disaster and those out there doing what they can to help.

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