Vancouver Islanders warned to prepare for smoky skies this summer
With 200 active wildfires in the province, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control is warning British Columbians to be prepared for a smoky summer.
“If we have a certain type of meteorological system that’s going to hold that smoke in the atmosphere and push it around the whole province, I’d expect that would affect the island as well as most of the mainland,” says the BCCDC’s scientific director of environmental health, Sarah Henderson.
Currently, Vancouver Island’s air quality index is low but experts warn conditions can change quickly. The region has been no stranger to wildfire smoke in seasons past.
“We’re fortunate we have clear skies,” says fire information officer Donna MacPherson, “but that’s not the case for people in the Interior.”
The BCCDC is encouraging people to start thinking about their plan “if and when” it gets smoky, so it will be easier to enact.
It suggests having one room in your home where you can expect a reprieve from particulates – like installing a portable air cleaner or putting together a box fan and a filter to filter your space.
“If you’re going to be outside,” says Henderson, “what kind of mask is going to offer you the best protection? Maybe try on a few models right now and then buy a couple so you have them ready to go when the smoke comes.”
Henderson says wildfire particulates are a complex form of air pollution that don’t just irritate your lungs.
“I think [for] a lot of people, it’s easy to understand that smoke would affect your lungs and your breathing – but it can affect your heart; it can affect your brain; it can affect everything.”
One parent, with a 10-month-old baby and 3-year-old child, says a big issue when smoke blows in is finding activities for kids inside.
“There needs to be a lot of physical activity and if you don’t have the space in your house to get that kind of physical exertion out of your kids, then it can get very claustrophobic,” says Ann Frew.
Frew hopes the warning to be prepared remains just that.
So far, CTV News Vancouver Island’s weather specialist says the island is looking good when it comes to holding off the smoke.
“We’re seeing a more normal weather pattern,” says Warren Dean. “Everything is moving west to east. We’re under the influence of a ridge of high pressure which spins clockwise and that actually pushes the smoke away from us.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.