The city of New York is plunged this Wednesday in an orange and brown fog, the consequence of the forest fires which ravage Quebec, which make the air very difficult to breathe for the 8.5 million inhabitants of the “Big Apple”.
Covid masks have reappeared on the streets of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. New Yorkers describe eyes and throats that “itch” because of the pungent air, characteristic of burnt wood, which fills the arteries of the megalopolis. The Statue of Liberty and skyscrapers are shrouded in an orange haze. ” It’s not the day to train for the marathon “, warned the mayor of the city Eric Adams.
The situation is even worse in the large upscale and green suburbs north of New York, along the Hudson River. New York State Governor Kathy Hochul said Wednesday’s air quality index dropped from “harmful” to “very harmful” and all outdoor school and extracurricular activities were suspended. or limited strictly necessary “. According to the IQAir.com site, which monitors pollution levels across the planet, the index for New York reached “158”, with a concentration of PM2.5 micro-particles at a level 14 times higher than the World Health Organization standards. Tuesday evening, this index reached “218”, a record.
Further south, the federal capital Washington also woke up on Wednesday to a pungent smell and cloudy skies despite sunny weather. As in New York and the state of Maryland, public schools have canceled outdoor activities for children, including sports. The air quality index in Washington was 199 Wednesday morning – on a scale from zero to 500 – a level considered “harmful” and expected to persist Thursday. According to the site fire.airnow.gov, tens of millions of inhabitants of the northeastern and eastern United States (New York, Washington, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, etc.) who are subjected this week to a very poor air quality.
Unprecedented
Faced with this pollution, the White House called on Americans whose health is fragile to “take precautions”. The fires in Canada and the resulting air degradation in the United States are ” another worrying sign of how the climate crisis is affecting our lives “, estimated the presidency.
After Alberta and Nova Scotia, it is Quebec’s turn to be hit by “never seen” fires. One hundred and fifty fires are currently active there, including a hundred deemed out of control. 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. Quebec has deployed hundreds of people on the ground. With international aid, including the hundred firefighters from France who are due to arrive by Friday, he hopes to increase his workforce to 1,200 people. The question of equipment and staff will be crucial in the days to come, recognize the authorities.
The French-speaking province has recorded 438 fires since the beginning of the year, against an average of 200 on the same date over the past ten years. The situation is also considered exceptional by the authorities in terms of the number of hectares burned at this time of year. 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. The country, which due to its geographical location is warming faster than the rest of the planet, has been facing extreme weather events in recent years, the intensity and frequency of which are increased by climate change.
(With AFP)