Additionally, there was no evidence that tornado sirens in the area had been deactivated by the Trump administration's budget cuts — if there was, the people affected by the storm certainly would have noted that fact in interviews.

The National Weather Service has confirmed that a powerful EF-4 tornado tore through southern Kentucky on Friday night, devastating communities across multiple counties.

In an update Tuesday afternoon, officials said the tornado that traveled between Pulaski and Laurel counties was an EF-4 with peak winds of 170 mph. It was on the ground for more than 55 miles and was nearly a mile wide at its maximum width.

The National Weather Service has finished its survey of the deadly tornado that ripped through southeastern Kentucky last week.

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.

Louisville metro residents won't be able to use their weather radios through May 21 due to a pre-planned computer systems update.

The agency’s office in Jackson, Kentucky, had begun closing nightly as deep cuts by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency began hitting. But the weather service kept staffers on overtime Friday night to stay on top of the deadly storms, which killed nearly 20 people in the Jackson office’s forecast area.

Southeastern Kentucky communities are mourning the losses of loved ones who were killed as tornadoes and heavy storms rushed through the region May 16.