Smoke from Canada’s out-of-control wildfires and the extreme heat wave sweeping across a large swath of US territory have raised air quality and health hazard alerts to the red and purple. Meteorologists warn citizens to prepare for a sweltering summer.
Many cities in the northeast of the country, including Chicago and Detroit, remain under a thick haze from more than 503 Canadian wildfires, 235 of them out of control, with no sign of extinction in sight. A considerable increase from the 450 fires in mid-June.
The purple alert for “very unhealthy air” has been set for the entire region spanning Wisconsin, the Cedar Rapids in Iowa to Columbus, Ohio, and a swath of the Midwest. While, in parts of the Mississippi Valley, the Great Lakes, the Ohio Valley, the central Appalachians, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, alerts for poor air quality range from orange, red and purple.
Smoke from the Canadian wildfires has combined with heat and humidity to further worsen air quality. As the smoke drifts north, more than 80 million people in the south of the country are experiencing extreme temperatures for the third week in a row. Life has become unbearable under a dome of heat that has already claimed at least thirteen deaths in Texas and one in Louisiana.
Air-conditioning
The relentless, oppressive muggy reached record triple-digit temperatures, exceeding 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius), in Texas, western Tennessee, eastern Arkansas, Oklahoma, northern Mississippi and Missouri on Thursday and Friday. The residents of Memphis and other cities in Shelby County, hit last Sunday by powerful storms with winds of up to 90 mph (145 km/h) that downed trees and power lines, are now facing the challenge of heat as still without electricity.
The dome is now extending to the east and is expected to remain over the south central through the weekend. Climatic aberrations have paralyzed a large part of the ordinary life of the population, resigned to staying indoors under constant cold showers to survive or with non-stop air conditioning when electricity is restored.
Extremely hot and humid conditions have increased the potential for disease and prolonged power outages exacerbate the situation in many areas. Residents are constantly urged to stay hydrated and take refuge in air-conditioned rooms.
Local authorities relentlessly urge the population to maintain continuous contact with their family, friends and neighbors, particularly those who are most vulnerable. In many localities, public centers have been set up to cool off, while it is recommended to go to public swimming pools and areas with water, or seek refuge in libraries and shopping centers with air conditioning systems.
Life is improvised at the stroke of a thermometer. Neighborhood volunteer groups have mobilized to bring donated air conditioning units to the elderly and needy, as dozens of crews work in sweltering heat and pressure to restore power.
Many workers in Texas who work outside are forced to do so with little protection, and at times, with burning eyes and exhaustion, some have walked off the job. The unions do not rule out strikes if the situation does not improve.
To make matters worse, state Governor John Abbot signed a bill this week eliminating mandatory water breaks and overriding existing local ordinances, such as in Austin and Dallas, that require 10-minute water breaks. every four hours for construction workers. The regulation, which comes into force in September, has infuriated unions that have already warned of mobilizations.
Blackout risk
With air conditioning systems on full day for three weeks, electrical demand has soared to record levels and strained the Texas power grid. Thanks to renewable energy sources, electricity distribution has been maintained, a fact that has helped to increase confidence in green energy in a State strongly dominated by the fossil fuel industry and where many politicians still view its viability with skepticism. In particular, it has been solar power, which has doubled since the beginning of 2022, that has managed to avoid blackouts this month.
By contrast, a high proportion of aging coal and gas power plants have failed. A worrisome situation given that Texas, the only state in the country that has its own autonomous electrical grid to avoid federal regulation, can only access very low levels of energy from other states.
More than a thousand flights have already been canceled due to weather phenomena and chaos is expected during the family holiday weekend of July 4, when displacements multiply.
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