JACKSON — Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant has declared a state of emergency for Adams, Amite, Pike, Wilkinson and any other counties affected by the heavy rainfall and severe flooding over the last few days.

The National Weather Service in Slidell reported 14.17 inches of rain in Gloster and 9.5 inches in Woodville in Wilkinson County and 8.5 inches of rain in Liberty in Amite County during the last 48 hours.

The Mississippi Department of Human Services and American Red Cross have opened a shelter in Adams County, located at 323 Liberty Road in Natchez, for residents displaced by flooding. There were 56 people in the shelter Friday night. MEMA is coordinating the delivery of fully accessible showers to the shelter.

Bryant says shelters are open and he wants to make sure anyone forced from their home is taken care of. He says the state of emergency will ensure state resources are available to all local governments that need help.

Bryant said damage assessments will be conducted by Mississippi Emergency Management Agency and local officials as areas become accessible.

Nearly all of the 342 people who live in the small town of Crosby have bee affected by flooding. Wilkinson County Emergency Management Director Thomas Tolliver Jr. said many Crosby residents left their homes Friday as the town was inundate by flood waters. Statewide, more than 1,000 people had to be rescued and at least two people have died.

Tolliver said some people in Crosby were able to leave on their own, but others had to be recused from their home. He said most were sent to shelters in Natchez.

Tolliver said Saturday the water has started to recede and those living in Crosby will be allowed back in by Sunday to assess the damage. Tolliver said most of the buildings in Crosby sustained water damage.