Gov. Andy Beshear praised the Trump administration’s response to a deadly tornado in his state, even as he worried about cuts at NWS.

The Jackson, Kentucky, office is one of at least four such facilities across the country that is so short-staffed that it is no longer routinely operating 24/7.

The National Weather Service in Paducah has confirmed that at least nine tornadoes touched down across the western Kentucky, Illinois, and Missouri region Friday afternoon and evening.

The Jackson, Kentucky, weather service office recently cut overnight staff but meteorologists were called in to handle the deadly tornado outbreak.

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.

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.

A preliminary survey by National Weather Service Jackson suggests an EF-3 tornado struck Laurel County late Friday.