2023-06-08 00:38:26
The situation is deteriorating in the United States. More than 100 million Americans were now affected Wednesday evening by air quality alerts from smoke from fires in Canada, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said. As thick smoke engulfed New York, La Guardia Airport had to suspend flights due to low visibility. Many flights are also experiencing delays. The winds allowed the smoke to reach Montreal, Ottawa and Philadelphia in particular.
These air quality alerts cover most of the northeastern United States, from Chicago in the north to Atlanta in the south. Air quality in this area “is primarily impacted by Canadian fires, although other local pollution emissions and weather may also play a role,” the EPA said.
The populations concerned are under an “orange” alert, corresponding to a possible impact on the health of fragile people (elderly people, asthmatics, children, etc.), or an alert at a higher level. Many major cities, such as New York and Washington, were on Wednesday affected by a red alert, a level at which the general population can also feel the effects on their health – effects then aggravated for the fragile.
Another 100 fires out of control in Quebec
The EPA is the agency responsible for monitoring air quality in the United States, and uses an index ranging from zero to 500. Between 0 and 50, the air quality is considered good. The orange alert corresponds to a level above 100.
On the front of the flames, the concern is growing, especially in Quebec which has become the epicenter of the forest fires which are engulfing a large part of Canada. He expects to have to evacuate thousands more over the next few hours, the province’s premier said on Wednesday.
VIDEO. New York trapped by smoke coming straight from Canada
In total, more than 11,000 Quebecers have already had to leave their homes, and the French-speaking province is preparing to evacuate 4,000 additional people. After Alberta and Nova Scotia, it is Quebec’s turn to be hit by “never seen” fires: 150 fires are currently active, including a hundred deemed out of control.
And no significant rain is expected until Monday evening. “With the staff we currently have, we can cover about 40 fires at the same time, but there are 150 in operation,” said the Premier of Quebec, François Legault. “We need to focus on where it is most urgent,” he continued. Canada as a whole is experiencing an unprecedented year: 2,293 forest fires have been recorded and approximately 3.8 million hectares burned, a total well above the average of recent decades.
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