More than a dozen people are dead in southeastern Kentucky from strong tornadoes May 16 and 17, state and local officials said. Heavy damage was reported in Pulaski and Laurel counties, where Laurel County Sheriff John Root said a tornado tore through the area just before midnight.

Residents in Kentucky and Missouri sifted through damage in tornado-stricken neighborhoods and cleared debris Sunday after severe storms swept through parts of the Midwest and South and killed more than two dozen people.

Severe storms in Kentucky claimed 18 lives, with 17 fatalities in Laurel County alone from a tornado Friday night.