The West Coast is on Fire!

 

We're on day 5 or 6 of record setting BAD air quality. The WORST in the world! The WORLD!

Several days with AQI readings above 500 but consistently 150 to 300+.

Holy crap! As if the isolation from Covid over the last 6 months was bad enough, at least we could go outside.

 

As small business like shops and restaurants are struggling to get by, now cannot offer outside seating. I even saw that Burgerville closed its Portland & Vancouver, WA locations recently due to wildfire smoke. If outside levels are 400-500 then inside levels could be 100-200, i.e. wear a mask with at least a PM2.5 filter.

I took my box fan + filter to my mom because she needs it more than I do as her house is old and not very air tight.

I've taped my doors and a couple of windows. I didn't open a single door to the outside for almost 3 days.

Here is one of my masks, cloth with pocket for PM2.5 filter.

It's scary. I know I had an issue with CO build up outside my bedrooms last year. Worried that my mom or her cat will succumb to CO and I will not know it until it's too late. She's annoyed with me for asking all the time. (Ha, it's how I feel sometimes when she's overly concerned with me).