Tornadoes that swept through Kentucky, Missouri and Virginia killed more than two dozen people, destroyed homes and left thousands without power as residents began clearing widespread storm damage.

Neighbors in London, Kentucky are beginning the long road to recovery after their community was reduced to rubble in a tornado. The EF-4 tornado tore through an area near the London-Corbin Airport, leaving a path of destruction in its wake.

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,

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.

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.

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

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.

Families hunkered down in their bathrooms and emerged to find their homes gone when a deadly tornado barreled through the community of London, Kentucky, on Friday, leaving behind only foundations where houses once stood.

Beshear announced during the briefing that the death toll has remained at 19, and that he hoped that number doesn't increase.