WRAP: East Coast cities blanketed by smoke from Canada wildfires

Record ID: 1728478

  • Title: WRAP: East Coast cities blanketed by smoke from Canada wildfires
  • Date: 7th June 2023
  • Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (JUNE 7, 2023) (Reuters) VARIOUS OF TIMES SQUARE WITH ORANGE SKY (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW YORK UNIVERSITY'S SCHOOL OF GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH, CLINICAL PROFESSOR, AND ENVIRONMENTAL AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH SPECIALIST, JACK CARAVANOS, SAYING: “I've been advising people where possible, stay inside, even though the air outside will ultimately find its way inside, the levels will be reduced. Also, it's, this is not the time to be playing tennis or jogging or getting ready for a marathon. Go easy on your lungs. Don't do anything that requires deep, heavy breathing, maybe better to walk versus bicycle if you can, just to keep things light." VARIOUS OF TIMES SQUARE WITH ORANGE SKY FLOWERS IN FRONT OF SMOKE COVERED NEW YORK CITYSCAPE (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW YORK UNIVERSITY'S SCHOOL OF GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH, CLINICAL PROFESSOR, AND ENVIRONMENTAL AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH SPECIALIST, JACK CARAVANOS, SAYING: “So it's not over just yet. I think it'll be over when the winds change and when we get control of the fires.” AERIAL FROM DRONE SHOWING SMOKE SHROUDING THE NEW YORK CITY BOROUGH OF THE BRONX (MUTE) VARIOUS OF NEW YORK SKYLINE DURING EVENING BRIDGE STATUE OF LIBERTY BARELY VISIBLE IN SMOKE WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (JUNE 7, 2023) (Reuters) VARIOUS OF WHITE HOUSE WITH SMOKY SKY (SOUNDBITE) (English) GARY HARTMAN, TOURIST FROM CHICAGO, SAYING: "It's a serious issue. You can't exercise outside. People with asthma and respiratory disease can't stay outside for a long time. What do you do about it when another country is responsible for your pollution?" HAZY VIEW OF THE BOTTOM OF THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT AND LINCOLN MEMORIAL WIDE OF THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT
  • Embargoed: 22nd June 2023 00:06
  • Keywords: Canada New York Orange Smoke Washington D.C. Wildfire
  • Location: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES; WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES
  • City: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES; WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES
  • Country: US
  • Topics: Disaster/Accidents,North America,Wildfires/Forest Fires
  • Reuters ID: LVA003829707062023RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Schools across the U.S. East Coast canceled outdoor activities, commercial airline traffic was slowed and millions of Americans were urged to stay indoors on Wednesday (June 7) as smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted south, blanketing cities in a thick yellowish haze.
    The U.S. National Weather Service issued air quality alerts for virtually the entire Atlantic seaboard. Health from Vermont to South Carolina and as far west as Ohio and Kansas warned residents that spending time outdoors could cause respiratory problems due to high levels of fine particulates in the atmosphere.
    "It's critical that Americans experiencing dangerous air pollution, especially those with health conditions, listen to local authorities to protect themselves and their families," U.S. President Joe Biden said on Twitter.
    U.S. private forecasting service AccuWeather said thick haze and soot extending from high elevations to ground level marked the worst outbreak of wildfire smoke to blanket the Northeastern U.S. in more than 20 years.
    New York's world-famous skyline, usually visible for miles, appeared to vanish underneath the otherworldly veil of smoke, which some residents said made them feel unwell.
    "It makes breathing difficult," Mohammed Abass said as he walked down Broadway in Manhattan. "I've been scheduled for a road test for driving, for my driving license today, and it was canceled."
    New York Governor Kathy Hochul called the situation an "emergency crisis," noting that the air pollution index for parts of her state were eight times above normal.
    Reduced visibility from the haze forced the Federal Aviation Administration to slow air traffic into the New York City area and Philadelphia from elsewhere on the East Coast and upper Midwest, with flight delays averaging about a half hour.
    Schools up and down the East Coast called off outdoor activities, including sports practices, field trips and recesses, to protect students.
    In some areas, the Air Quality Index (AQI), which measures major pollutants including particulate matter produced by fires, was well above 400, according to Airnow, which sets 100 as "unhealthy" and 300 as "hazardous."
    At 12 p.m. EDT (1600 GMT), Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was experiencing the worst air-quality in the country, with an AQI reading of 410. Among major cities, New York had the worst air quality reading in the world on Wednesday afternoon at 342, about double the reading for chronically polluted cities such as Dubai (168) and Delhi (164), according to IQAir.
    (Production: Rollo Ross)
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