Tornado damage still being tallied across the South

As a state of emergency is declared in North Carolina, homeowners and retailers are picking up the pieces after a destructive and deadly series of tornadoes.

According to news reports, 243 tornadoes were reported in 13 states in the past three days.

Video of the damage in Sanford, N.C., includes images of a ripped up Lowe's store, where the managers were described as heroes on an ABC World News broadcast Sunday night. The managers were able to move about 70 customers to the back of the store and thus protect them from flying glass and debris during the daytime tornado. A Tractor Supply and Big Lots store in Sanford also received extensive damage.

Across the country, the severe storms killed at least 45 people.