By Phil Helsel and Kurt Chirbas -
NBC News
At least 23 people died Friday night after a tornado and several deadly storms tore through several towns in the state of Mississippi, authorities said.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency confirmed the death toll in a Twitter post early Saturday, saying dozens were injured and four people were missing.
"We have numerous state and local search and rescue teams still working this morning. A number of assets are on the ground to assist those who have been affected," the agency said.
Among the dead are a man and his daughter, who died at the home where they were sheltering with his wife and two other children, Monroe County Coroner Alan Gurley told NBC News.
The bodies were found in Wren, a large unincorporated community about 180 miles north of Jackson.
The woman and the other two children were taken to a hospital, he added.
Satellite view of the passage of several storms through the state of Mississippi on Friday.NOAA/NESDIS/STAR
In Sharkey County, coroner Angelia Eason confirmed the deaths from storm strikes of 13 people in Rolling Fork, a small town of about 1,800 people about 60 miles northwest of Jackson, the state capital.
"The damage is tremendous. It's horrible," he said.
In Carroll County, three people were found dead in a destroyed home, while in Humphreys County two men were killed when a tornado struck Silver City, a community of about 220 about 30 miles east of Rolling Fork.
The identity of none of the victims has been released.
“From the damage that I have been able to assess at this time, it appears that this is a large tornado that has destroyed the city of Rolling Fork,” Rolling Fork Mayor Eldridge Walker told local NBC News in Jackson. adding that the damage is considerable.
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Emergency services are also looking for an unknown number of people trapped in Silver City.
The National Weather Service (NWS) warned that a tornado was headed toward Rolling Fork around 8 p.m.
Authorities issued a "tornado emergency," a term used when there is a serious threat that endangers human lives, the NWS said.
In an earlier alert, the NWS was clear: "To protect your life, SHELTER NOW!"
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“You are in a life-threatening situation,” he stressed.
“Flying debris can be deadly for those caught without shelter.
Mobile homes will be destroyed.
Considerable damage to homes, businesses and vehicles is likely, and total destruction is possible," she reported.
In the Silver City area, all Humphreys County sheriff's deputies had to respond to emergency calls.
The state sent search and rescue resources and other assistance to the area, said Malary White, a spokeswoman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has also been alerted and is monitoring the situation, she said.
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"Many in the Mississippi Delta need your prayers and God's protection tonight," Governor Tate Reeves wrote on Twitter.
The state, he added, has activated medical support and sent ambulances where they are needed.
Police in Amory, Mississippi, a city of about 6,600 not far from the Alabama border, urged people to stay home so first responders could deal with the effects of the storm.
Nearly 19,000 people in Mississippi lost power early Saturday, according to the website poweroutage.us.
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The Birmingham weather service said a tornado had struck nearby, but it was not known if it had hit the city.
Tornado watches were still in effect for parts of eastern Mississippi and northern Alabama as of early Saturday, the weather service said.
Previously, those alerts covered nearly all of Mississippi.
Early Friday in Texas, two tornadoes with 100-mph winds struck Parker County, west of Fort Worth, around 5 a.m., the weather service said.
Five people were injured, according to the local NBC News station in Dallas-Fort Worth.
