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Release date: Aug. 24, 2015
Contacts:
Ken Armstrong, Public
Affairs Specialist, Eugene, 541-686-7997
Treena Jensen, NOAA Senior
Meteorologist, Portland, 503-261-9248
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SW, central and
NE Oregon continue to experience poor air quality as a result of ongoing
wildfires
Willamette Valley, Coast and Portland-metro area experience AQ
improvement. Statewide improvement expected later in week.
The Oregon
Department of Environmental Quality, along with state and local health officials,
encourages residents of southwest, central and northeast Oregon to take health
precautions from smoke caused by dozens of wildfires burning throughout Oregon
and southeast Washington.
Air quality is
unhealthy for sensitive populations in southwest Oregon, including Medford,
Grants Pass, Cave Junction, and Shady Cove; in central Oregon, including Bend,
Redmond and Sisters; and in Eastern Oregon, including Pendleton, La Grande and
Enterprise.
Smoke continues to clear out of the Willamette Valley. For
southwest and northeast Oregon, this will be a much slower process. There is a
combination of little air movement and continued smoke from either northern
California/southern Oregon fires affecting southern Oregon, and smoke from
wildfires in Washington and Idaho affecting northeast Oregon. Those areas may
not see significant improvement until the end of the week.
While DEQ’s Air Quality Index is
a good resource, it’s important to remember that statewide monitoring network
does not capture air quality conditions in all communities. Many smaller
communities are currently experiencing unhealthy air quality, though they may
not be located in close proximity to a monitor. It’s important for residents to
gauge air quality conditions where they live and take appropriate actions to
protect themselves.
Should smoke occur, residents can take the following
precautions to avoid breathing problems or other symptoms from smoke:
·
If smoke levels are Very
Unhealthy or Hazardous, the best recommendation is to get out of the smoky
area. If you have the means and ability to leave, getting out of the smoky area
is the best thing you can do for your health.
·
If you are not able to leave
the area, reduce the amount of time outdoors.
People with heart or lung disease, infants and children are more
sensitive to health effects from wildfire smoke, so leaving the area until the
smoke clears is the best thing you can do for your health.
·
If you have asthma, other lung
disease, or heart disease, you may be more sensitive to health effects from
wildfire smoke, follow your doctor’s advice about medicines and about your
disease management plan. Call your
doctor if symptoms worsen.
·
If you are told to stay
indoors, stay indoors and keep your indoor air as clean as possible. Keep
windows and doors closed, if possible.
·
Have enough food and
medications on hand to last several days. Minimize the amount of food that
requires frying or broiling. This can
add particles to indoor air.
·
Avoid strenuous work or
exercise outdoors. With the exception of firefighters and emergency personnel
who are trained to work in hazardous environments, people should avoid physical
exertion during smoke exposure.
·
Avoid driving whenever
possible. If driving is necessary, run the air conditioner on the “recycle” or
“re-circulate” mode to avoid drawing smoky air into the car.
Remember, local smoke levels can rise and fall rapidly,
depending on weather factors including wind direction. People can conduct a
visual assessment of smoke levels to quickly get a sense of air quality levels
and take precautions. If people have additional concerns, they should contact
the nearest regional or local public health agency for the latest in health
conditions from smoke.
Visit the Oregon Smoke Blog for
more information regarding active fires and air quality, along with tools to
help people assess smoke levels in their area.
Tune
to local radio and TV stations and the Weather Channel in affected areas that
may include the very latest fire information in news programming and weather
reports.