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
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.