The east coast of the United States woke up today to a surreal state of thick yellow haze that has disrupted the lives of tens of millions – from flight schools to more – because of severe fires in the eastern provinces of neighboring Canada.
The National Weather Service has issued a warning to Americans in light of the expected difficulties for some of them to breathe, and in fact almost everyone in the eastern United States has been urged to exercise caution and take into account that being away from home may lead to health problems due to the entry of contaminated particles into the airways. Even in more western states like Ohio and Kansas, conditions were harsh.
In New York City, the famous skyline is gone. "I can't breathe, it's hard here," one resident told Reuters. He added: "I was supposed to take a test to get a license, but it was cancelled."
The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a directive for flights landing at LaGuardia Airport, slowing down flights to the city and even suspending some of them.
Washington, D.C., is covered in haze, today, Photo: Jim WATSON / AFP
In schools across the eastern U.S., students were forced to spend recess indoors, and some events — including sports classes and trips — were canceled.
The fires are currently mostly in the provinces of Quebec, Nova Scotia and Ontario in Canada, and winds have led to the cloud screen covering entire parts of its southern neighbor as well. So far, some 30 million hectares have burned across Canada, including in the west of British Columbia.
People in Manhattan document the new situation, today, Photo: ED JONES / AFP
If the situation continues like this, Canada could probably declare the worst fire season, and many argue that the situation is even worse because humanity has not acted to prevent global warming.
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