Ten of the 39 confirmed deaths have been verified as between the ages of 18 and 24, said Steven Anderson, TPD chief of police.
The number of people missing has climbed to 570, said Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox.
“We ask those that ask the police department to check on relatives to please exercise caution,” he said. “We are getting many calls from people who are saying their loved ones are missing and yet they haven’t spoken with them for two to three years.”
For citizens with missing loved ones, the city’s website at http://tuscaloosa.com
features a program called “seekandfind” that enables people to send in information pertaining to those who are missing.
“We will rely on this data to continue our search and rescue efforts,” Maddox said.
The curfew will be extended for Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s curfew will take place from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Concerning city services, the advisory to boil water will remain in place for at least the next 12 hours and all water tanks are operating at full capacity.
Garbage pickup will begin Monday for the areas not affected by the tornado.
“This is going to be very limited, and it could stop and start as we continue to allocate resources into the field,” Maddox said.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has established six registration points, which are also first aid stations, that will be used to pass out information to citizens as well as collect information about citizens’ needs.
“If you are registering for FEMA relief, you must provide your name, street address of the disaster, of course the county and contact number that can be reached,” he said. “FEMA is beginning to assign assets into the city, and that number will continue to grow over the next 24 to 72 hours.”
FEMA has also been establishing temporary housing in both public and private locations across the city, Maddox said.
The city needs volunteers who know how to speak Spanish for its search and rescue efforts, Maddox said.
Anyone who wishes to volunteer should call 205-248-5045, and anyone who has had a home damaged or destroyed should call 1-800-621-3362.
People interested in donating can call the Tuscaloosa disaster relief fund at 205-758-7588.
Contractors interested in bidding for city work resulting from the disaster can meet at noon at Central High School where they will receive packets of information regarding qualifications required by FEMA and what work will be expected by the city.
“Although we have been ravaged beyond comprehension, we still remain that shining city on a hill because the world has seen our faith in God and our faith in each other,” he said. “This is an enormous task, but I woke up this morning with a new sense of optimism what we will once again become a shining city on a hill.”
