Orange haze covers US east coast – 06/08/2023 – World

The orange haze caused by wildfires in Canada settled on Thursday (8) over a large area in the eastern United States, raising concerns about the incidence of respiratory problems. According to authorities, the situation will remain critical at least until Saturday (10).

In an attempt to contain the crisis, US President Joe Biden said he had ordered American emergency agencies to respond quickly to requests for help made by the neighboring country to fight the flames. Canada has been battling a wildfire season, and smoke from the fire drifted south this week towards some of the region’s most populous cities.

“I have directed you to promptly respond to requests for additional firefighters and more firefighting assets such as tanker planes,” Biden said in a statement released by the White House. The US on Thursday sent 600 firefighters to help the Canadian government fight the wildfires.

In the US, the National Weather Service on Thursday extended warnings of poor air quality on the east coast and inland regions, including in the states of Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. The most critical situation, however, was that of the American capital, Washington.

Due to “very unhealthy” air quality, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a series of measures to restrict the movement of people. All city parks were closed. A live concert and outdoor film screening that was scheduled in downtown Franklin Park has been cancelled. The National Zoo was unable to receive visitors, and professional baseball games were postponed.

“This issue is likely to continue or worsen this Friday,” he wrote to Bowser on social media.

Health officials reiterate warnings that spending too much time outdoors can cause respiratory problems due to high levels of fine particles in the atmosphere. In New York, a faint smell of burning wood lingered, even when the smoke partially cleared during the day.

Fog and low visibility forced aviation authorities to cancel dozens of flights to major airports in New York and Philadelphia for the second straight day. In New Jersey, all trips to Newark Airport were delayed.

Schools on the US East Coast have once again suspended outdoor activities, including sports and recess. The White House, on the other hand, postponed the LGBTQIA+ Pride Month event to Saturday, which was expected to be the biggest in history.

In Canada, more than 20,000 people had to be evacuated from their homes due to the fires. More than half of the impacted population is in Québec. On Thursday, the government was preparing to withdraw another 4,000. “The more time passes, the greater the challenge,” said provincial premier Francois Legault.

“With the troops we have, we can cover about 40 fires at the same time, but there are 150 active,” Legault said. “We have to prioritize what is urgent,” he added.

Since the beginning of the year, 438 fires have been recorded in Québec, against an average of 200 in the same period of the last ten years. The number of hectares burned at this time of year is also far above average, according to authorities.

Canada has faced extreme weather events in recent years, whose intensity and frequency have increased due to climate change, according to experts. The fires raging across the country are “another worrying sign of how the climate crisis is affecting our lives,” said White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre.