90 Dead in Joplin Missouri After American Tornado

90 Dead in Joplin Missouri After Deadliest American Tornado in 60 Years

By RICHARD ESPOSITO, LEEZEL TANGLAO, KEVIN DOLAK and MICHAEL MURRAY

The death toll in Joplin, Mo., rose to 90 today as officials described themonster tornado that hit the city as a "once in a generation event."

Meteoroligcal records show that this was the deadliest tornado since 1953 when a twister hit Worcester, Mass., and caused 90 fatalities.

Rescuers shifted through rubble today looking for survivors as high winds and hail continues to plague the area.

The tornado blasted a four mile wide path through the city and left trapped survivors crying out for help this morning.

"You see pictures of World War II, the devastation and all that with the bombing. That's really what it looked like," Kerry Sachetta, the principal of Joplin High School, which was mangled by the tornado. "I couldn't even make out the side of the building. It was total devastation in my view. I just couldn't believe what I saw."

Want to help? Here is a list of organizations.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency Sunday evening and activated the Missouri National Guard in response to the destruction.

St. John's Regional Medical Center in Joplin was evacuated after it took a direct hit from the tornado. Every window in the facility was blown out and the top two floors were blown off, ABC News affiliate KMBC reported.