Plan B Forum

Guinevere wrote:Wildfires don't happen in cities. It's horrible up there. I hope they get a break soon.

Sue U wrote:My B-I-L and his fam live in Santa Rosa. As of last night they were still a couple miles outside the evacuation zone. But they've got bags packed and are ready to split if/when they get the word.

By Lesley McClurg
OCTOBER 11, 2017

Air pollution in Bay Area counties this week has been the worst since 1999 when officials began collecting data.

“The pollution is so high it’s comparable to high pollution days in China,” says Lisa Fasano at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

The worst hour was measured at Napa College on Tuesday at 8 a.m., breaking all records in the area. The air quality index of 486 for small particulate matter is so high it’s off the chart, as you can see below.

Officials warn that very fine smoke particles, a fraction of the size of a human hair, can lodge in the lungs and do irreparable damage to the body.

“When we breath particulates they bypass the lung system and get into our bloodstream,” said Fasano. “They exacerbate respiratory conditions like asthma, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), emphysema and other conditions because they are very harmful.”

A seasonal inversion layer is putting a lid on the pollution and holding it in the region. Usually the Bay Area benefits from a natural air conditioning system with winds blowing in off the coast and carrying the air inland.

Residents in the North Bay are experiencing the brunt of the pollution because of nearby wildfires in California’s wine country. Residents in Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties should try to stay inside buildings with air conditioning. But people in the East Bay and South Bay are not in the clear because the toxic air is creeping all over the region.

“We are also seeing elevated levels in San Francisco and Redwood City,” says Fasano. “We are all being impacted by this really unhealthy air pollution.”

Fasano recommends buying a face mask at the hardware store with a N-95 rating or higher. Unfortunately neither a hospital mask or a bandanna tied over the face prevents noxious air from entering the lungs. Fasano suggests staying inside through the weekend to avoid breathing both particle pollution and ash wafting through the air.

Bicycle Bill wrote:The one thing I can't fully understand is the number of vehicles that seem to get caught in these fires.  One would think that they would be used by their owners to evacuate rather than being left behind.

RayThom wrote:

Bicycle Bill wrote:The one thing I can't fully understand is the number of vehicles that seem to get caught in these fires.  One would think that they would be used by their owners to evacuate rather than being left behind.

Possibly because almost 9% of California households own 4+ vehicles. The Insurance Institute of America and AAA statistics indicate that only one driver can operate one car at a time.