tornado, that sounds really terrifying. >> reporter: it is terrifying. you have to understand that these people just last night at about this time were stumbling out of the debris of their home and didn't know where they were and didn't know where their loved ones were. they finally caught their breath during the day today and then they've been pounded by one, two, three severe thunderstorm events during the day today. with very similar characteristics. those large hail stones you were just talking about. the strong driving wind. and these punishing cold rains as well. it's made it very difficult for the teams to look for people that they are hoping may be alive in the rubble here in joplin. >> sam, we are seeing a death toll at the moment of 116. that ties the worst ever figure that we've seen for direct hit by a single tornado. from what you've seen on the ground in joplin, would you expect that death toll figure to rise? >> reporter: sadly, piers, i really want folks to have hope. if they have not been able to