Dear Friends,
On Tuesday I drove 340 miles north from Santa Cruz, through the most traffic-congested parts of the Bay Area, to the small mountain town of Mt. Shasta. The town is an hour’s drive north from Redding, so I thought, incorrectly, that it would be beyond and above the smoke from the massive Carr fire.
The house I was planning to live and work from for two weeks has an amazing view of Mt. Shasta, and when I got there, no mountain could be seen for the smoke.
House view without smoke
House view with smoke
The next morning, I put everything back in my car and drove 340 miles south, back to Santa Cruz. Earlier that morning, out for coffee, I could feel the polluted air seeping into my pores, and I knew, regardless of how much I wanted to be on that mountain, I couldn’t stay.
I learned a lot about air quality that morning. The good news, the EPA is still monitoring air quality. The bad news, the smoke-filled air covering much of northern California, and drifting into neighboring states, is toxic. In addition to toxins like carbon monoxide, cyanide and harmful byproducts from homes burning such as plastic and other building materials, it is the microscopic nature of the particles in the smoke itself that are the biggest threat.
Smoke from fires seen from space
California is not the only place on fire. Several serious fires are active in the western United States, including Oregon and Washington. Record heat is also stoking wildfires across Europe and North Africa.
USDA Forest Service Active Fire Mapping
European Commission Science Hub – Active Fires and Burnt Areas – last seven days
What to do if you’re impacted by smoke from fires:
- Get out of town if you can, especially if you have existing lung or heart issues, which can be exacerbated by the smoke.
If you can’t get out of town:
- Stay indoors, close the windows and doors and use an air conditioner.
- When in the car, recirculate the air and keep the windows closed.
- Get a N-95 respirator or P-100 mask. A dust mask won’t filter the fine particulate matter out.
- Buy an air cleaner.
- Drink lots of water.
- Monitor local air quality at airnow.gov.
This is just the beginning of the fire season in the Northern Hemisphere, so if you are in a potential fire and smoke area, take the time to prepare.
Be well,
Barbara Fagan-Smith
CEO, ROI Communication
Chief Catalyst, Living ROI
P.S. Just about a month ago I “discovered” Mt. Shasta. Like most Californians and Oregonians, I had “seen” Mt. Shasta. It’s hard to miss the massive glacier-covered volcano as it juts out of the valley to dominate the landscape at 14,179 feet (4321.8 m). But I hadn’t paid much attention to it. My eyes have always been on Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range.
When I first set foot on the mountain last month, and hiked through its majestic alpine meadows and fir, pine and cedar forests, I knew I had found a new home. Mt. Shasta is considered one of 15 sacred mountain peaks in the world, and just one of two in the United States (the other being the Black Hills of South Dakota).
Once the fires are under control, and the air clears, I will be back on that mountain!
P.P.S. I created Living ROI as a passion, to share what I’ve learned and support others who want to live more authentic, joyful and fulfilling lives. Please visit our website.
If you’d like to get my weekly newsletter, you can subscribe here.
