Homeland Security Secretary tours storm ravaged Mississippi

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (AP) - The damage from Hurricane Isaac became clearer on Sunday as Mississippi officials told the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said that more than 1,500 homes were flooded by swollen rivers and that hundreds of people had to be rescued from raging flood waters.

Napolitano visited Mississippi one day before President Barack Obama was scheduled to see first-hand Isaac's destruction in Louisiana.

Napolitano was told about 1,600 or more homes were flooded by overflowing rivers and two people reportedly died in Mississippi. Most of the damage was in Pearl River and Jackson counties.

The secretary praised emergency officials and said Obama was calling her frequently for updates.

"The president has been on top of it," she said. "We are here, we have been here, we will remain here."