Biden declares federal disaster after Kentucky tornadoes | First Thing

Originally more than 100 people were feared dead, but hopes rise that death toll could be lower than feared. Plus, trading up from a hairpin to a house

Good morning.

Joe Biden declared a major federal disaster in Kentucky after a swarm of deadly tornadoes hit the state on Friday, as representatives of a candle factory destroyed by a twister said far fewer people may have died than previously feared.

Isn't spring the main season for tornadoes? Yes, this latest event was very unusual coming in December, when colder weather normally limits tornadoes, said Victor Gensini, an extreme weather researcher.

Does the climate emergency have something to do with this? Possibly. Biden has asked the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate what role the crisis might have played.

What makes boosters more effective than the first two Covid jabs? Mutations in the virus look quite different from that of the original Wuhan strain that all current vaccines were designed to target. That in turn means existing antibodies will be less efficient at intercepting Omicron and a higher quantity of antibodies is required to compensate for them being less well matched.