It continues to be another bad day here. The sky isn't as orange, but definitely smokier. I'm sneezing every half-hour, far worse than any allergies I've ever had, and it's 3 pm and I've got a headache.
The Air Quality Index (PM 2.5) here is 407, "Hazardous."
More suburbs of Portland are being told to evacuate -- Canby, Molalla, Oregon City -- which is almost unthinkable. I think of those places as largely suburbs surrounded by agricultural fields.
My sister is a physical therapist who does home visits in Oregon City. Today her boss gave her an N-95 mask to wear all day just because of the smoke there.
There are small towns that have been decimated in eastern Washington as well. [Well, far worse, really. "Decimated," comes from the Romans -- "deci," meaning a-tenth.]
I'm sorry, I'm not very up-to-date on the situation in California.
Lots of people are noting the role of climate change in these fires, but I think that's a little premature. Yes, we're had a drought, and high temperatures. But we're also had high winds (though not today, at least here deep in the (Williamette) Valley), which don't follow from climate change. So I think we need to let the scientists do their attribution studies and give their results in a few months. I doubt that's a popular opinion.
Here's the view from a main thoroughfare in my town, Keizer, Oregon, when I was out earlier today:
1 comment:
We're getting reports on the BBC about the Oregon fires, and they look alarming.
I've been looking at some maps and the big fires look to be threatening Portland to their North and Salem to their West, with a NE wind.
Hope you're ready to move it it gets nasty.
Good luck.
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