As many as 400 wildfires burning across Canada triggered poor air quality across America as smoke from Canadian wildfires moved south, blanketing cities in thick yellow haze. Sensing the gravity of situation, authorities urged millions of American to stay indoors. Schools across the US East canceled outdoor activities and air traffic got slowed. Commuters started using face masks in the face of hazardous conditions. The smokey air poses a tough challenge for those who have to toil outdoors. New York’s famous skyline appeared blanketed in an otherworldly veil of smoke.
Here are top points that decode why the situation is getting hazy.
Air quality warning and health risk
Millions of people around North America are reported to be under the blanket of air quality warning. According to public health officials, people should shy away from doing exercise outside as the poor air could pose a long term health risk. As per report, zoos have brought animals indoors.
Smoke crossing from Canada
The smoke billowed over the US border from Canada, where hundreds of forest fires have scorched 9.4 million acres and forced 120,000 people from their homes in an unusually early and intense start to the wildfire season, reported Reuters.
The skies above New York and many other North American cities grew progressively hazier through Wednesday, with an eerie yellowish tinge filtering through the smoky canopy. According to the report, the air smelled like burning wood.
Canadian PM thanks Biden for support
According to a report published by AP, the US has sent more than 600 firefighters and equipment to Canada. Other countries are also helping. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke to President Joe Biden by phone on Wednesday. Trudeau’s office said he thanked Biden for his support and that both leaders “acknowledged the need to work together to address the devastating impacts of climate change, reported AP.
Haze to stay for more days
On air quality maps, purple signifies the worst of it. In reality, it’s a thick, hazardous haze that’s disrupting daily life for millions of people across the US and Canada, blotting out skylines and turning skies orange. And with weather systems expected to hardly budge, the smoky blanket billowing from wildfires in Quebec and Nova Scotia and sending plumes of fine particulate matter as far away as North Carolina should persist into Thursday and possibly the weekend, reported AP.
Emergency shelter set up
In suburban Philadelphia, officials set up an emergency shelter so people living outside can take refuge from the haze. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state was making a million N95 masks — the kind prevalent at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic — available at state facilities, including 400,000 in New York City.