Smoke from Canada's wildfires prompts New Haven residents to mask up

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

NEW HAVEN — It hasn't been the best week to visit the city for a Columbus woman who came here with her husband for a conference at Yale University.

"Yesterday, I had my mask on all day. It's gotten really bad," said the woman, who declined to give her name. "I went to visit Prospect Hill, but the visibility was horrible. I’m going to stay inside a lot more."

The "unhealthy" air quality due to wildfires from Canada prompted some city residents and visitors alike to return to masking mode while some public event organizers are taking more precautions ahead of their events. Some are left with environmental concerns.

The Air Quality Index shows New Haven, along with the entire state, as "unhealthy" Thursday, which was an improvement from Wednesday when monitoring sites in southwestern Connecticut were painted maroon, reporting "hazardous" levels of fine particle pollution from the wildfires.

Laurent Caplette, a postdoctoral student at Yale, was walking along the Old Green wearing a mask, but he said he usually doesn't put one on anymore.

"I didn't have one yesterday, and it was smokey, and it was hard to breathe," Caplette said. "Yesterday was the worst."

It was the first time Caplette, originally from Montreal, Canada, experienced this. He said even if all the smoke is traveling down from Canada, his hometown is seeing relatively "nice" air quality.

"I’m more concerned for the people here than people back home," Caplette said.

It's a health-related concern for another Yale medical student wearing two masks and walking along High Street Thursday morning, heading to the lab. He declined to give his name but said he lived in New Delhi, India, for several years, and the smoke reminded him of that.

"I have chronic bronchitis, it got really bad, and I had to be nebulized every week," he said. "I’m scared I’m going to get the same thing I used to, health-wise. I hope it's going to get better or I’m prepared to run to my parents’ place in New Jersey. I don't think it's better there."

Being from New York, Dom Degennaro said seeing pictures of the smoke in the city Wednesday found him worried about his parents and family.

"It was really bad there," he said. "I’m worried about my mom; she's got health issues."

Asked about his experience in New Haven, Degennaro described that his face, nose and eyes were burning.

"I work inside, but I’ve been waiting for the bus and walking around and stuff, and it's really nasty out," Degennaro said. "It was scary. I don't even know what is going on. It felt like the end of the world or something, you know, in the movies and stuff. It's crazy."

Like others, Degennaro said what has happened had him concerned about global warming and environmental problems.

"It's scary to see what has progressed," he said. "Definitely, this shouldn't be normal, but it's the world we’re living in now."

New Haven recorded its worst air quality on record since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency began collecting data in 2004.

Mayor Justin Elicker said Thursday afternoon the city opened up "an area of refuge" at the city's building on Orange Street Wednesday night to Thursday morning, which 12 individuals utilized, for those who didn't have a place to go. He said whether the city will do it again Thursday night will be determined.

All branches of the city's libraries Thursday can be used as a shelter for people during their normal business hours, according to Rick Fontana, the city's emergency management director.

Elicker also said school outdoor recess and a number of field trips have been canceled due to the air quality.

"Everything I have seen, it is anticipated that the air quality will improve tomorrow," Elicker said. "The predictions yesterday were that it would improve throughout the day, and it actually got worse. It all depends on the prevailing winds, so we'll be prepared if it continues."

With many public events planned this week, event organizers are taking more precautions. The Town Green District has postponed its four events that were scheduled to happen this week to next week, according to its social media announcement.

A crew from the International Festival of Arts & Ideas, scheduled to kick off this Saturday, has been setting up a stage at the Green throughout the week. No outdoor events for the festival have been canceled, as of Thursday morning, according to organizers.

Aaron Thompson, managing director of the festival, said the group is monitoring the air quality in consultation with the city and the artists.

"We’re waiting for that forecast, and we’ll obviously make choices based on the appropriate forecast," Thompson said. For about 20 workers loading and setting up at the Green, Thompson said the festival provided them with access to N-95 masks with respirator masks available as "an extra precaution" if they wanted an additional layer of protection.

As advice for people looking to attend the events this weekend, Thompson said, "Evaluate your health, if you’re particularly sensitive, we understand that you may need to stay home, but we also have plenty of events that are indoors."

With public events, Elicker said it's ultimately up to different organizations to make the decision, but the city has been regularly guiding residents about what to do.

"If you're vulnerable, do your best not to be out at all, if you have asthma, if you have lung issues, if you're a child or a senior," Elicker said. "If you do have to be out, don't exert yourself a lot, minimize the time out and wear an N-95 mask."

[email protected]