"Early Sunday morning, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Mississippi and ordered Federal aid to supplement State, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, and tornadoes from March 24 to March 25, 2023," the White House said in a statement.

Federal funds will be made available to affected residents in the form of grants for temporary housing, home rebuilding, low-interest loans to cover uninsured losses, and other assistance, the statement added.

On Saturday, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) said that the death toll from the tornado stood at 23, with four people missing. US media reported that 24 people were killed in the storm.

(With UNI inputs)