“Landscape in smog” New York – Many states on alert due to smoke from forest fires in Canada
More than a dozen US states have been on air quality alert Wednesday as smoke from hundreds of wildfires in Canada drifts further south. The skies of many cities have taken on a grayish, hazy color, and local officials are urging residents to stay indoors.
Health officials from Vermont to South Carolina on the East Coast, but also in Ohio and Kansas in the Midwest, have urged millions of residents to limit the time they spend outdoors. Microparticles suspended in the atmosphere can cause difficulty breathing and pose health risks, they warned.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued an emergency air quality alert from New England to South Carolina.
“Using a mask may help limit the problem, for those suffering from respiratory diseases. More smoke expected Thursday and Friday,” the NWS Washington office said on Twitter.
Schools on the East Coast canceled outdoor activities, such as sports games and field trips, to protect students. In Bethesda, Maryland, a high school moved its graduation ceremony indoors, while in Brooklyn, New York, an elementary school postponed its prom. A school in Montclair, New Jersey canceled a fifth-grade field trip to an amusement park.
In New York City public schools operated normally, but canceled or moved their outdoor activities indoors.
The sky over New York and many other cities has turned gray and the air smells strongly of burnt wood. In many places the rising sun appeared as a small, orange disk. The skyscrapers of the city, which can usually be seen from a distance of many kilometers, they almost disappeared in the blur.
LIVE: Hudson River barely visible as Canada wildfires cast haze over New York City https://t.co/5EGWlXTGS9
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 7, 2023
This morning the air quality in New York was the second worst in the world, according to the Swiss company IQAir that measures the state of the air in major cities. In first place was New Delhi, India.
Smoke from wildfires is linked to an increase in heart attacks and strokes, while hospital emergency rooms are filled with patients with asthma attacks and other respiratory illnesses, eye or skin irritation. “This is an unprecedented event in our city, and New Yorkers need to take precautions,” said Mayor Eric Adams.
Canadian authorities earlier today sounded the alarm about the air situation in Toronto, due to the fires that have been raging for several days almost across the country. At least 33 million acres have already burned and more than 120,000 people have been forced to temporarily leave their homes.
The wildfires in eastern Canada and the subsequent deterioration of air quality on the east coast of the United States are “yet another alarming sign of how the climate crisis is affecting our lives.” It is a “disturbing example” of climate change affecting the entire world, the White House announced today.
White House spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre said President Biden was being updated on the progress of these fires, offering US support and urging Americans with fragile health to “take precautions” due to air pollution.
At the same time, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that it was delaying and suspending some flights in the New York area due to reduced visibility due to smoke from the raging wildfires.
The FAA said flights from the northern Midwest and East Coast to New York’s LaGuardia International Airport have been grounded, while flights to Newark Liberty International Airport are experiencing delays.
Hundreds of wildfires in Canada have created a layer of smoke in the atmosphere, prompting a public health alert in US cities.
Source: Skai
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