Residents describe sky as ‘eerie’ during air quality alert
Smoke from wildfires in Canada are causing the bad air quality.
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Beachgoers described the sky as eerie Wednesday afternoon.
“I cannot believe it's burning, and we can actually smell it all the way here,” said Annmarie Rosch while on a walk in Westhampton Beach. “It doesn't smell good. It doesn't taste good. And I don't know how long it's going to last this time, but it is awful.”
Smoke from wildfires in Canada has slowly been making its way through the state.
Air quality indexes have been over 100 for many areas of Long Island, and residents are saying that they can feel the difference.
“The sun is totally orange, and there's a haze everywhere,” said Lynn Berry, of Baiting Hollow. “You can't even see very far out into the water. And you can smell the smoke in the air. It smells like someone has a campfire going.”
The Nassau County fire marshal posted that they’re getting a high number of “smoke in the area” calls, but they have the staff to cover them.
Governor Kathy Hochul expanded an air quality advisory to the entire state, including Long Island, and is urging New Yorkers to stay inside when possible.
Frank Coletta, a pulmonary doctor at Mount Sinai, says people with health issues like asthma need to take extra precautions.
“We're expecting air quality index to go up to 100, and that's unhealthy even for normal people,” said Coletta, adding that the heat and humidity on top of the smoke are making conditions even worse. “The particles that are in the air are very small. They are 2.5 microns or less. And they will penetrate not only into your lungs, but your eyes, your skin. So again, the important thing is avoidance.”
