Air Quality, Public Health, What to do next
Devastated by the Palisades and Eaton fires, a friend, who I met through writing this air quality blog, alerted me to video above.
If you must be in Los Angeles, or downwind - that's all of us in the county at minimum but as winds shift and travel far - be mindful to protect your lungs from what you can't see. How long will this go on? A believe a long time.
Toxic dust gets kicked up by wind, cars, please no, leaf blowers. Can they be outlawed already?
I'm digesting everything.
I left town for 11 days (During first week or more of Palisades fire, I lived in a "get ready to evacuate" zone, could see the dark smoke and swirling ash falling in our neighborhood, downed trees blocking roadways).
Oak Trees: A favorite place in Pacific Palisades
I came home yesterday only to learn we have a new warning for today through tomorrow - perhaps through Thursday - for particularly dangerous winds and potential fire.
Ultimately, since starting the blog Chasing Clean Air, I never left Los Angeles - a city of joy, music, culture, natural beauty, and my communities of hiking, music, dancing friends. I kept returning from my travels because I surmised the risks of natural disasters was worth the price of immense beauty, hiking opportunities, year round outdoor activities, culture, arts, vibrant communities.
Yet now...
Hurricane force winds driving embers to destroy thousands of homes.... It's all too much, heart-breaking, a fright! Many of my friends lost everything.
I lost my playground of decades, for Pacific Palisades comprises my favorite hiking trails.
So very beautiful.
My CPA lost his house. My dentist lost his place of business. Several friends lost everything and are now scattered, no longer a tight community of place. And where and when would we be able to hike again confident of relatively clean air?
If you're exposed to poor air, consider saline nose rinses, air purifiers, double pane windows, wet rags under door frames toward outside, reach out to friends for support. With a little help from our friends...
