SYRACUSE -- The National Weather Service now says more than 300 tornadoes touched down in Alabama last week in 24 hours. That is a record and it is also why Maureen Perkins from the Central New York chapter of the American Red Cross says she is heading down to Alabama.
"I expect this job will go on for some time. There was so much devastation, so much needs to be done to help the people," she says.
Last weeks storms killed more than 300 people in six states. Alabama took the brunt of the damage with more than 200 people killed and hundreds who are still missing.
Perkins, a 23 year veteran of the Red Cross says she is prepared for the worst. "What we are hearing is that things are really, really bad. We are expecting to open 15,000-20,000 cases," she says.
The Red Cross is sending volunteers from across the country including counselors. Perkins says she expects many of the survivors are still in a state of shock.
"You can imagine if you just saw your home flattened what kind of state you'd be in," she says.
