As a storm system approached Jackson, in Southeastern Kentucky, on May 16, a few individuals agreed to work double shifts to make sure timely warnings continued during the overnight hours, said Tom Fahy, legislative director for the National Weather Service Employees Organization.

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.

A deadly severe weather outbreak spawned at least one tornado in 22 states from May 15 - 21. Among the hardest hit states were Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma and Wisconsin.

LONDON, Ky. — The massive EF-4 tornado that killed 19 people in Kentucky last Friday tore through three counties leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. According to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Jackson, the tornado was nearly a mile wide and had peak wind speeds of 170 mph.

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.

Cuts to National Weather Service tested Kentucky office staffing ahead of deadly tornadoes - Deadly tornadoes ripped across Kentucky on Friday, killing at least 18 people

Preliminary storm surveys from the National Weather Service have confirmed significant tornado damage across multiple Kentucky counties following the recent severe weather outbreak.

Gov. Andy Beshear said Saturday that there were no problems with weather alerts after devastating tornadoes hit Kentucky Friday night.

Areas in Laurel County that were impacted by a tornado late May 16 will be evacuated during the evening hours of May 20 ahead of more severe storms are set to move into the area, state and local officials announce during a news conference.

Survey teams were still working to assess damage into the evening Sunday, but officials said they have already documented severe damage near and west of the London-Corbin Airport.

Due to staffing shortages, the National Weather Service in Jackson no longer has overnight staff. But NWS and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear say the office was staffed Friday night and early Saturday.