"Death Toll Rises as Twisters Rock Mississippi, Alabama"

"TUPELO, Mississippi -- People in northern Mississippi and Alabama huddled in hallways and basements as a string of tornadoes ripped through their states Monday, a day after another line of storms killed 16 people to their west.

Two people were killed at a trailer park west of Athens, Alabama, on Monday, according to a post on the City of Athens Facebook page. Another person died in Richland, Mississippi, said Rankin County Emergency Management Director Bob Wedgeworth, bringing the storms' overall death toll to 19.

That toll is expected to rise. William McCully, spokesman for Mississippi's Winston County, told CNN there have been "multiple fatalities" in his county."

Matt Smith, Michael Pearson, and Martin Savidge report for CNN April 28, 2014.

SEE ALSO:

"Obama Tornado Aid: President Pledges Federal Help After Deadly Twister" (AP)

"Iowa Storms Lave 1 Dead, Others Injured After Strong Winds Tear Through State" (AP)

"Mayflower: Deadly Tornado Sweeps Through Arkansas Town That Endured ExxonMobil Tar Sands Pipeline Spill in 2013" (DeSmogBlog)

"Kansas Town Destroyed By Tornado Spreads Blame For Lack Of Growth" (NPR)

"Will Global Warming Produce More Tornadoes?" (Mother Jones)

"Deadly Storms Strike Central, Southern U.S." (NPR)

"Storms Carve Deadly Path Through South and Midwest" (New York Times)