Bush inspects tornado damage; 11 month old baby survives storm

Survivors and crews searching through tornado debris stumbled upon a miracle in Tennessee.

Rescuers found Kyson, an 11 month old baby, in a muddy field Thursday just as they were about to end their search for survivors.


During the storm, Kyson and his mother were thrown from their home. Rescuers say Kyson will never know his mom because she died in the storm.

For thousands more, including Maggie Dolejas, splintered wood and twisted metal is all that's left of their lives.

Dolejas and her husband huddled in a closet during the tornado.

"We were perfectly safe," said Dolejas. "God took care of us."

At least 55 people are dead across five states after the most severe string of tornados in more than 20 years.

President Bush on Friday tried to lift the spirits of people in rural Macon County, which suffered the heaviest death toll from dozens of tornadoes that tore across Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky and Alabama.

Even before Bush landed, he declared major disasters in Tennessee and Arkansas, a move that opens the spigot of federal funding to cover some costs, shared with local governments, for debris removal and protective measures and to help individuals. Sensitive to criticism it was ignoring other states hit by the storms, the White House said these were the only two states that had so far asked for help.

Bush began his visit to the disaster zone the way he usually does: by getting a look at the damage from his helicopter, in this case on his way in from Nashville. He was traveling with members of Congress from Tennessee — both senators and three local congressmen — but with a pared-down White House staff to keep his usually large footprint as small as possible.