How to be safe indoors
Even when you stay inside, some smoke will get in.
There are options to reduce smoke levels of indoor air, according to Linsey Marr, an environmental engineer and a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech and one of the world’s leading aerosol experts. Marr advises:
1. Keep the windows closed.
2. If you have a portable air filtration unit (HEPA filter, air purifier), run it on high.
3. Most window AC units recirculate indoor air and do not pull in air from outside. This is a good time to make sure the AC unit's filter is installed correctly. It will remove some of the smoke particles from the indoor air that passes through the unit. If you do have a good filter installed, run the fan on high to move as much air as possible through the filter. There are a few types of window AC units that have an adjustment to bring in some outdoor air. You should adjust the lever to use all recirculated air and zero outdoor air.
3. Most residential central HVAC systems do not bring in outdoor air, so if you have a good filter installed (MERV 11 or higher), you can turn the fan to run constantly to circulate indoor air through the filter. This will help remove particles from indoor air.
4. If the smoke is bothering you indoors, you could also wear a good quality mask, like an N95, KN95, or KF94. This will filter out at least 95% of the smoke particles.
National Weather Service says 'not a great deal' of improved air quality expected tomorrow
In a sobering alert this afternoon, the National Weather Service said that forecasters expect "not a great deal" of air quality improvement heading into tomorrow as thick smoke from ferocious Canada wildfires continues to waft southward along the eastern U.S.
The weather service tweeted a map showing that air quality will be particularly poor in New York, the mid-Atlantic region and parts of the Midwest, including swaths of Indiana and Ohio.
Yankees and Phillies games postponed, too
Tonight's games between the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park (originally slated for 6:05 p.m. ET) and the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium (originally set for 7:05 p.m. ET) have been postponed because of the dangerous conditions, the MLB said in a news release.
"These postponements were determined following conversations throughout the day with medical and weather experts and all of the impacted Clubs regarding clearly hazardous air quality conditions in both cities," the league said.
WNBA game between NYC and Minneapolis postponed because of hazardous conditions
Tonight's WNBA game between the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx has been postponed because of the dangerous conditions along the eastern U.S., a spokesperson for the Brooklyn-based team confirmed to NBC News.
The game was scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Grubhub tells drivers they will not be penalized for avoiding areas where they'd feel unsafe
At least one online delivery group is telling drivers they can avoid the most heavily affected parts of their cities without facing consequences on their platform.
In a statement, Grubhub confirmed it had alerted drivers that they would not be penalized "for opting out of blocks if they do not feel safe completing deliveries."
The company added that following New York City’s announcement about air quality deteriorating, it was also "reminding those with pre-existing conditions to stay inside."
Just after 2 p.m. Wednesday, New York City officials said they'd extended the warning to limit outdoor activity until Thursday at midnight.
Biden administration send firefighters to Canada to battle wildfires
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has deployed over 600 U.S. firefighters and personnel to help battle Canadian wildfires as heavy smoke blankets the northeastern United States, the White House said.
Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday that Washington had also sent equipment, such as water bombers, to help put out the hundreds of blazing fires and that officials were in touch with the Canadian government.
She said federal agencies at home were sharing information with local officials about the air quality in areas that have been impacted and urged Americans to “take precautions, especially if you have conditions.”
Jean-Pierre demurred when asked if President Biden, who dealt with asthma as a child, had been advised to wear a mask outdoors but said he did not wear a mask on Wednesday when walking from his residence to the Oval Office, an outdoor path along the colonnade.
“No one is wearing a mask. It’s a short walk,” Jean-Pierre said.
U.N. secretary general calls for more efforts to limit wildfires in a warming world
Google tells employees in New York and along the East Coast to work from home
Google is telling its East Coast employees to stay home as wildfire smoke fills the air in New York and other major cities.
Company site leads in New York wrote in a memo to workers in the area that air quality in many parts of the region had reached “unhealthy” levels, citing the New York state Department of Environmental Conservation. In New York, most employees have been expected to work from physical offices at least three days a week.
“We are advising Googlers to work from home if possible, and limit their exposure to outdoor air,” according to the note, which was obtained by CNBC. “Terraces across our New York campus will remain closed today.”