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.

Two days after deadly tornadoes tore through southern Kentucky, devastated communities are beginning the painful process of picking up the pieces.

The EF-3 tornado touched down in Somerset, Pulaski County, before wreaking havoc across the region, including London.

The severity of the damage in the county depends on the specific location, but preliminary assessments show that some areas sustained damage from a high-end EF-3 tornado, according to the NWS. An EF-3 tornado has at least three-second wind gusts of between 136-165 miles per hour.

After a deadly weekend in Laurel County, boots are on the ground everywhere to help communities rebuild what they can.

The community of Laurel County, Kentucky, is grieving the loss of more than a dozen people, including a firefighter who spent nearly four decades helping others, after a tornado destroyed his neighborhood while he was on duty.

The family said they'd come to assume the cat was gone until someone heard a faint meow from the destroyed house.

Laurel County officials say warm food and daily essentials are needed, but so are storage containers and an open heart for those who have lost everything.