Mississippi tornado: Biden declares emergency after storm kills 26 in region

In the Delta town of Rolling Fork, with a population of about 2,000, entire neighborhoods were reduced to rubble. Video of the aftermath showed crushed cars, a toppled municipal water tower and bent trees shorn of their leaves.

Walker, who is also a local funeral director and said he had lost friends during the catastrophe, added that he expected search and rescue to conclude Sunday with most community members now accounted for.

In nearby Carroll county, fatalities included three members of the same family living in a mobile home park near the community of Summerfield. Danny Munford, 51, his wife Helen Munford, 54, and their son JaDarrion Murphy, 14, died after winds picked up their mobile home and tore it apart, according to harrowing accounts reported by the Clarion-Ledger, the newspaper of the state capital of Jackson.

The White House announced a major disaster early Sunday morning, unlocking federal funding to four counties in Mississippi hit hardest that can be used for temporary housing, repairs and other programs to help businesses and community members recover financially.

The administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), Deanne Criswell, was scheduled to visit Mississippi on Sunday.

Pope Francis included affected communities in Mississippi during Sunday prayers at the Vatican.

The National Weather Service in Mississippi warned of severe weather conditions throughout large portions of the state throughout Sunday, including large hail and the potential for more tornadoes. Severe weather warnings were also issued for parts of Louisiana and Alabama.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.