Smoke from Canadian wildfires clouded New York causing apocalyptic smog on Wednesday as cities on the US East Coast issued air pollution warnings and thousands of people were evacuated from their homes in Canada. The mayor of the Big Apple urged residents to stay indoors as purple smog billowed over Manhattan's iconic skyscrapers, delayed flights and forced Sports events are postponed.More than 100 million people across the American Northeast, stretching west to Chicago and south to Atlanta, are the subject of pollution warnings after the smoke drifted hundreds of miles from Canada, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said. In Canada itself, raging fires have killed more than 20,000 people and burned about 3.8 million hectares. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it was the worst wildfire season Canada has ever seen. "It smells like someone is doing a barbecue," said Nicha Suaittiyanon, a 30-year-old Thai tourist in New York.Forty-three-year-old lawyer Hugh Hill said his throat was sore from the bad breath, which he compared to the smell of wood fire. Like many New Yorkers, he chose to cover his face while walking his dog in Central Park, often the green lung of Manhattan.
IQAir.com, which monitors air quality around the world, said New York - often known for its blue skies - received the worst air quality index (AQI) of any major city in the world. the world. . New Delhi, known for its pollution, is the second worst. New York is often outside the top 3,000 most polluted cities, according to the website - - 'Hazardous' - AirNow, another analyst, said the Big Apple's AQI hit a dangerous level of 413 as of 5:00 p.m. (2100 GMT), just below the high 500 level. NASA scientist Ryan Stauffer told AFP that New York surpassed its previous AQI record, which was set 21 years ago. New York City Health Commissioner Aswin Vasan said the city is experiencing its worst air quality since the 1960s.while New York state Governor Kathy Hochul called it an "emergency crisis" that could last several days.
Smog shrouded the Statue of Liberty in the Manhattan skyline, with the Federal Aviation Administration saying it was slowing traffic to the city's airport due to reduced visibility. Major League Baseball postponed Wednesday's game between the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox and the Phillies' home game against the Detroit Tigers due to poor air quality. The women's NBA and National Women's Soccer League also announced postponements. In music, organizers canceled the opening night of a concert series in Brooklyn that would have featured Corinne Bailey Rae. Scientists say that warmer temperatures increase the likelihood of hot and dry weather making heatwaves more common. In Canada, more than 11,000 residents have already been evacuated from the province of Quebec, now the epicenter of the disaster, and another 4,000 are expected to escape by the end of Wednesday, said mayor Francois Legault. US President Joe Biden said on Twitter that more than 600 US firefighters and other personnel, including equipment, were sent to Canada to help fight the fire.
"I don't know if it's psychological or physical, but I know there's some benefit to wearing a mask. Obviously, it's not going to prevent everything, but the dog has to be walked," he told AFP. All outdoor activities at New York City's public schools were suspended, with Mayor Eric Adams urging city dwellers to limit outdoor time to "the absolute necessities." "This is not the day to train for a marathon," he told reporters.
In Washington, authorities warned that the air quality was "unhealthy for people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens" and canceled all outdoor activities in public schools, including sports lessons. - 'Climate crisis' - White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the situation was an "alarming example of the ways in which the climate crisis is disturbing our lives."
