Tornado kills at least 25 people in Mississippi

ROLLING FORK, Mississippi (AP)

Help began pouring into one of the poorest regions of the US after a deadly tornado wrought a path of destruction in the Mississippi Delta, even as furious new storms Sunday struck Georgia, where two tigers briefly escaped their badly damaged safari park.

At least 25 people were killed and dozens of others were injured in Mississippi as the massive storm ripped through several towns on its hour-long, 170-mile path late Friday. A man was also killed in Alabama after his trailer home flipped over several times.

Search and recovery crews resumed the daunting task of digging through flattened and battered homes, commercial buildings and municipal offices after hundreds of people were displaced.

Jarrod Kunze drove to the hard-hit Mississippi town of Rolling Fork from his home in Alabama, ready to volunteer "in whatever capacity I'm needed."

"The town is devastated," Kunze said. "Everything I can see is in some state of destruction."

Kunze was among volunteers working Sunday morning at a staging area, where bottled water and other supplies were being readied for distribution.

"Sharkey County, Mississippi, is one of the poorest counties in the state of Mississippi, but we're still resilient," Rolling Fork Mayor Eldridge Walker said.

"I feel confident that we're going to come back and build this community back bigger and better for our families and that's what we're hoping and that's what we're looking to do."

"Continue to pray for us," he added. "We've got a long way to go, and we certainly thank everybody for their prayers and for anything they will do or can do for this community."

President Joe Biden issued an emergency declaration for Mississippi yesterday, making federal funding available to hardest hit areas.