Death Toll from Severe Storms Rises to 17

LEAKESVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Authorities say the storms that pounded the Deep South killed one person in Mississippi, bringing the death toll to 17 across four states.

Jeff Rent, a spokesman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, says one death was reported in Greene County. He did not have further details, and the Greene County Sheriff's Office did not immediately return a phone message Saturday.

Tornadoes were reported across Mississippi on Friday, damaging dozens of homes and businesses and leaving more than a dozen people hurt.

Combined with earlier reported death in Alabama, Arkansas and Oklahoma, the confirmed death toll had risen to 17 by Saturday — making it the nation's deadliest storm of the season.