Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen has asked President Bush for federal disaster aid after tornadoes left 24 people in his state dead.
Storms and tornadoes tore through eight central U.S. states Sunday, killing a total of at least 28 people.
In Tennessee, rooftops were ripped off by strong winds and some homes were torn off their foundations Sunday as families huddled together for safety during the storms.
Thousands of buildings were severely damaged or leveled. Authorities are sending rescue crews and trying to restore power.
Governor Bredesen toured the region by plane Tuesday, and described the scene as "the wrath of God."
The National Weather Service says the storms developed as a result of a cold front from the west slamming into a mass of warm, humid air from the southeast.
The tornadoes also hit parts of Kentucky, Iowa, Arkansas, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana.
The National Weather Service says it had reports of 63 tornadoes in the eight-state region.
It is the deadliest storm since November, when 23 people died in the state of Indiana.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
