Barbourville Road was down to one lane in front of Slate Hill Baptist Church just outside of London, Ky. in Laurel County Sunday, May 18, 2025 as utility workers made repairs from down lines on the road. Two days earlier, thunderstorms and a deadly tornado ripped through the Southern Kentucky community destroying many homes.

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

One of the biggest concerns that we have is that you’re in this debris in high winds and it becomes a projectile, and it injures or kills somebody.”

A violent storm system that included at least one unconfirmed tornado ripped across Kentucky, destroying homes, businesses and at least one church. 18 are confirmed dead as of Saturday afternoon.

Hearts are heavy across Kentucky in the wake of deadly tornadoes that slammed the state last week, but despite that, first responders and volunteers, some of whom are high school students, continue recovery efforts to rebuild communities that were leveled by the storms.

CHI St. Joseph London saw a quick surge of people needing help in the moments after the tornado touched down in Laurel County.

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.

Meteorologists with the NWS Paducah office have also confirmed several tornadoes in its region the afternoon and evening of May 16. Three tornadoes impacted western Kentucky, including an EF-3 tornado in Morganfield with winds of 155 mph, an EF-2 tornado in Allegre and an EF-2 tornado in Casky.

Recent tornadoes have claimed the lives of at least 28 people. In response, Operation Blessing and Mercy Chefs deployed teams to the hardest-hit area of London, Kentucky.