Mayor Adams warns about ‘dangerous’ haze from wildfires, urges NYers to stay inside
Mayor Eric Adams warned New Yorkers against the “dangerously high levels of wildfire smoke” that were choking the city and metro area Wednesday – and cautioned residents to wear masks outside and prꦜi♏oritize remaining indoors with their windows shut.
“This is something that has never impacted [the ꦓcity] on this scale before,” Adams said at a press conference Wednesday morning.
“We had dangerously high levels of wildfire smoke from thousands of miles away … from the gloom over Yankee Stadium to the smoky haze obscuring the skyline…we could see it, we could smell it and we felt it.”
Adams cautioned residents to remain inside with air conditioning “to the greatest extent possible,” and to wear masks if they needed to venture outside.
“This is not th✃e day to train for a marathon or do an outside event with your children,”😼 he said.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) peaked at an unprecedented 218 Tuesday, and Adams subsequently confirmed that the AQI in The Bronx was 1ꦿ74 on Wednesday morning.
It is expected to remain dangerously highꦗ through Thursday.
Zach Iscol, Commissioner of NYC Emergency Ma🌠nagement, explained at the presse🐈r with Adams that an AQI over 100 is normal for this time of year, due to pollen and other factors.
Everything you need to know about the NYC wildfire smoke
New York City’s air has been heavily polluted by thick smoke from Canadian wildfires burning hundreds of miles away.&nbsꦕp;
NYC Mayor Eric Adams warned residents to stay inside to aౠvoid exposure.
The haze wafting in from Quebec poses a threat “even to healthy adults.”
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- Mayor Adams warn෴s about ‘dangerous’ haze from wildfires, urges NYers to stay inside
New York’s air quality has become some🅰 of the worst in the world as the ominous orange smog from wildfires near Quebec, British Columbia and Nova Scotia continues to s🦹ettle ov൩er the region, according to IQair.
The air quality is expected to remain hazardouꦰs through the weekend.
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“We knew we had a problem once we went above 150, that’s when we convened [on Tuesday],” he said.
City Health Commissioner Dr♉. Ashwin Vasan added that older adults and those with chronic medical conditions or compromised immune systems are at an especially high risk.
“Avoid going outside unless you absolutely have to. For people who must be outdoors, a high qual🐈ity mask like an N95, a KN95 Or a KF94 is recommended for doctors and providers seeing patients in their clinics and hospital,” he said.
“It may get better in the next seveꦍral days but this is a multi day event.”
Thus far, Vas❀an confirmed, there has been no increase in ER visits at city hospitals due to the conditions.
Dr. Michael Katz, the CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals, noted that Tuesday’s AQI deteriorati𝔍on took place later in the day, “when most people were already home.”
He noted that Wednesday is a greater conce🌌rn giಞven that people are now back on the streets and at work.
Earlier on Wednesday, New York City public schools suspended outdoor activitiesꦇ for 🍃the day.
Schools will remain in touch with parents regarding potential closures on Thursday, Dept. of Education Chancellor Da𒆙vid Banks told reporters🍒.
Adams’ press conference came shortly after New York’s air qualit🔴y became the second worst in the world as the ominous orange smog from fires in near Quebec, British Columbia, and🎃 Nova Scotia continue to settle over the region.
Gov. Kathy Hochul shortly before 4 p.m. Tuesday.
“Normally our air quality index is around 50 in New York State. Over the last 24 hours, and we just got these numbers in, the index hit — my numbers this morning were 200,” Hochul told reporters on Wednesday.
“The index hit 400 in parts of our state. That’s an 800% increase.
“The bottom line is…if you can stay indoors, stay indoors. This is detrimental to people’s health in New York State. We have over 1.4 million people who already have asthma. And when the air quality is bad, it’s a significant risk for these individuals as well as seniors and children,” she added.
Hochul warned the public that the situation was no longer expected to improve by Friday, as prev𒐪iously predicted.
“So people need to prepare for th🐓is over the l♕ong haul,” she said.
Both Adams and Vasan said that severe aಞir quality events could become mo🍷re commonplace in New York City due to climate change.
“Climate change is accelerating these condit𒐪ions,” A☂dams said.
“There’s no blueprint…for these types of 🔴issues…there is no planning for an incident like this.”
Adams also praised his “fast-moving” team for theirꦿ response to the “unprecedented” situation.
“There were no late notifications [on Tuesday💧],” he insisted.
“This is a new universe that we’re in,” Adams continued, noting that city leadership may have to start encouraging peopleꦡ to use public transportation and keeping N 95 masks on hand as poor air quality becomes more common.
