Scenes all too familiar to Bay Area residents played out across the eastern seaboard on Wednesday as wildfire smoke from hundreds of Canadian infernos covered iconic landmarks, including One World Trade Center, the Statue of Liberty and the White House, with a thick haze.
The smoke also held up flights at major airports, forced postponements of Major League Baseball games and ignited a return to pandemic-era masking for East Coast residents from New York to as far south as North Carolina and as far west as Indiana, according to the Associated Press.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the state would make 1 million N95 masks available on Thursday as the New York Times reported that New York City was experiencing its worst air quality since the Environmental Protection Agency began recording such measurements in 1999.
Hochul added that while a normal AQI is 50, Brooklyn recorded an AQI of 413 and Queens recorded an AQI of 407, marking an 800% increase over what is generally considered safe.
Canadian officials asked other countries for additional help fighting the conflagrations, which have displaced 20,000 people and are creating that nation’s worst-ever wildfire season.
In response, President Joe Biden dispatched 600 firefighters and equipment. Meanwhile, Canadian officials say 950 firefighters and personnel have arrived from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa since its wildfire season began.
The National Weather Service, in local bulletins, said the duration of the smoky conditions will depend on weather patterns and how long the Canadian wildfires remained active and uncontained.
Stay connected with us on social media platform for instant update click here to join our Twitter, & Facebook
We are now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@TechiUpdate) and stay updated with the latest Technology headlines.
For all the latest Travel News Click Here
