Air Quality Index
The air quality for Florence and mapleton continues to get better with the change in weather. Overnight the Air Quality Index dropped to a 7 on the AQI chart, the best it has been in nearly 2 weeks. Likewise the Mapleton AQI is lower at 29 this morning. The shift in winds and the added moisture in the area has contributed to the change. Levels below 50 are considered the “good” range for breathable air. Dr. Thomas Caton director of the Peace Harbor Walk in Clinic says early on there were some cases of respiratory distress as a result of the poor quality air, but not at an alarming level.
“Fortunately, the air quality locally has gotten much better so we haven’t seen a massive upsurge in some of those respiratory cases.”
He did say that despite the better air quality, those with already compromised lung issue may have a longer road to recovery.
“You’re still going to be having some folks that are going to be recovering for a few weeks I expect.”
The air quality alert is expected to expire at noon today.
New Coronavirus Numbers
There have been 16 new coronavirus cases for Lane County, but the biggest number in several weeks is the number of currently infectious people. That number climbed by 10 yesterday for a month long high of 75 people currently considered active with the virus. There have now been 894 positive cases for the area with no new cases for the 97439 zip code, that number is at 22. Statewide the number of coronavirus cases is still hanging below the 30,000 mark at 29,850 with 195 new cases reported yesterday. There have been two new deaths associated with COVID-19, both men in their 70’s with underlying health conditions, one from Washington County and one from Multnomah County. The death toll in the state is at 521.
Helping Out during Hard Times
Oregon residents are stepping up to help those affected by the wildfires. The Oregon Health Authority issued a statement that people are donating filters, fans and even chickens for displaced coops taken by fire. The OHA also recommends that people use social media to share preparedness information at ready.gov/plan. There is also a page for kids at ready.gov/kids. The OHA has set up a special website to access information or to help at healthoregon.org/wildfires.
Holiday Farm Fire 8% Contained
The Holiday Farm fire which is affecting the Eugene Springfield area and is in part the fire that is affecting our air quality here on the coast is now only 8 percent contained and the fire’s incident commander Link Smith says the change in weather may lighten the smoke inversion and actually increase fire activity. The team has currently assessed about 75% of the structures within the fire perimeter and 503 of the 1018 structures have been confirmed destroyed. Search and rescue efforts are ongoing. The fire currently covers over 170,000 acres and the perimeter covers more than 260 mile, or to put in perspective the distance from Medford to Portland.
