As nasty tornadoes popped up from Kansas to Kentucky, a depleted National Weather Service was in scramble mode. The agency's office in Jackson, Kentucky, had begun closing nightly as deep cuts by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency began hitting.

The National Weather Service has completed the tornado assessment in Laurel County, Kentucky. The preliminary data showed high end EF3 damage, with low end EF4 indicators, mainly in the Sunshine Hills area of London,

Nine tornadoes struck Missouri and Kentucky on May 16, including a deadly EF3 in Scott County that killed two people and destroyed homes. The National Weather Service confirmed tornadoes up to EF4 strength.

An apparent powerful tornado tore through Russell, Pulaski and Laurel County in Kentucky late Friday night, leaving a trail of destruction and killing several.

Did alerts go out? What type of alerts did people receive? National Weather Service and others have said the Jackson office was staffed Friday night despite staffing shortages.

Aerial video footage from areas in the South and Midwest, including Kentucky, show a trail of destruction left by devastating storms and tornadoes.

Major Leslie Leatherman, a 39-year veteran of the Laurel County Fire Department, was tragically killed while responding to a fire alarm when the tornado touched down.