Survivors of a series of tornado strikes in the U.S. struggled to come to terms with the destruction Sunday, as officials raised the death toll to 22.

Susan Roberts, a 61-year-old resident of Seneca, Missouri, was left with a heavily damaged 1985 Cadillac in her living room. A woman who had sought shelter in the car had died.

Roberts had warned the woman to flee, minutes before a tornado hit the area. The victim had been trying to change a tire.

"That is what is tearing me up," Roberts told The Associated Press.

At least 15 people died in southwestern Missouri. Officials said another death has been confirmed in Georgia, after the storms made their way there on Sunday.

And at least six people died in Picher, a mining town in Oklahoma, when a tornado tore up a 20-block swath on Saturday.

"We've seen homes that were completely levelled to the foundation," said state Highway Patrol Lt. George Brown of the damage in Picher. "In a few of these homes you would have had to be subterranean to survive."

One of Picher's dead includes an infant, he said. At least three others have been confirmed missing. Crews and search dogs are hunting for survivors or bodies in the piles of debris.

"Trees are toppled over, ripped apart," said Ottawa County emergency manager Frank Geasland. "There are cars thrown everywhere. It looks like a bomb went off, pretty much."

About 150 Picher residents were injured during the storm. Thirty-two people had been taken to hospital, with 26 already released, Geasland said.

Picher is a town of 800 and is heavily polluted by lead from nearby mines. It sits in the state's extreme northeast near the border with Kansas and Missouri.

Ten died when a twister hit near Seneca, Mo., about 32 kilometres southeast of Picher.

American Red Cross disaster relief officials have set up a command post in the area and are providing shelter, food and water to those sifting through what remains of their homes. The agency's Joann Moore told CTV Newsnet on Sunday that the weather has been good for the relief efforts.

Oklahoma's Gov. Brad Henry planned to visit the area Sunday afternoon.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Picher and all of the other Oklahoma communities that have been impacted by the latest wave of severe weather," he said.

A newspaper in Joplin, Mo. said more than 90 people were being treated in local hospitals following the storm.

A tornado also struck in Arkansas as the storm system swept eastward through the night.

President George Bush has pledged government support in helping communities recover from the massive wreckage.

"The federal government will be moving hard to help," he said. "I'll be in touch with the governors and offer all of the federal assistance we can."

With files from The Associated Press