NYC Gazette

June 7, 2023

Watch the video here at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRkx2Ciy5oM

First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright: Good evening. I'm First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright. I want to thank everyone for gathering. As you can see, the air quality has not improved since this morning and in fact has gotten worse. There has been continued coordination across city agencies to ensure that we are responding to the conditions with caution and care. We've been working with the chief of staff, chief advisor, the deputy mayors, commissioners, particularly the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Emergency Management, NYPD, FDNY, Department of Education, and Department of Citywide Administrative Services among others.

The goal is to provide information to the public at this time to take actions to protect New Yorkers and to ensure that New Yorkers have the information resources they need to stay safe. Today we're going to be issuing guidance. We need New Yorkers to take heed, and we will continue to update as the situation evolves, as we continue to coordinate and collaborate. Right now, the mayor will address us and give us a full update on the situation.

Mayor Eric Adams: Thanks so much, First Deputy Mayor Wright and our entire team for really approaching this unprecedented series of events that started yesterday. And I want to give New Yorkers another update on what we are facing as a result of the wildfire smoke from Canada. We have all seen, smelled, and the pictures really speaks volumes as you look at the Empire State Building that's engulfed in this smoke.

At 5 p.m., the Air Quality Index hit 484, a hazardous condition that we are facing. On the levels of health concern that is clearly alarming for all New Yorkers, this is the highest level index of our knowledge since the 60s. Conditions are likely to continue to deteriorate through 9 to 10 p.m. tonight. While air quality conditions are anticipated to temporarily improve later tonight through tomorrow morning, they are expected to deteriorate further tomorrow afternoon and evening as smoke moves back over the city.

I want to be clear. While there may be potential for significantly improved conditions by Friday morning, smoke predictability that far out is low. It is difficult to predict the movement of this smoke. As Commissioner Iscol stated earlier, this is an unpredictable series of events, and we cannot provide guidance more than a day in advance at this point. As a result, we're encouraging New Yorkers to stay home, indoors, tonight and tomorrow whenever possible, especially our vulnerable New Yorkers.

All New Yorkers should limit outdoor activity to the greatest extent possible. If you must be outside, we recommend wearing a mask, especially if you are elderly or a younger child. City services will continue to be available for all New Yorkers tomorrow, and we will continue to serve the city, but we will not be conducting outdoor events. Outdoor events are canceled based on any city outdoor event.We're strongly recommending that others follow our lead and not conduct outdoor activities if not necessary. Public schools were already closed, unrelated to this issue, but we are also going to suspend alternate side parking. Beaches are closed right now because of visibility and remain closed tomorrow. Staten Island Ferries are operating on the fog schedule right now due to visibility. That means every 20 minutes until 8 p.m., and then it will return to normal schedule every 30 minutes until 7 a.m. We'll update based on real time conditions on tomorrow's schedule.

Those traveling on East River bridges should drive at posted speed limits and be extremely careful. We will monitor conditions and advise the speed limits have to change based on visibility. New York City Ferry is operating at normal schedule. And I want to reiterate what I said this morning. New York should stay inside, close windows and doors, and use air purifiers if you have them. If you are an older adult or have heart or breathing problems and need to be outside, wear a high quality mask such as KN95.

The city's also put in place a potential and a way to distribute masks through our firehouses and our police precincts. That operation is currently being coordinated now. In the meantime, we recommend all New Yorkers take the precaution to protect themselves. We also are strongly recommending that they check the air quality forecast from local media outlets, the National Weather Service, or other weather and air quality apps that you can access on the go.

As I said this morning, this is climate change in action, and we must continue to draw down emissions, improve air quality, and build resiliency. Our city is strong and resilient. We have faced crises before, and we will get through this together. Stay indoors, stay safe, and mask up if you are outside. At this time, I want to turn it over to Commissioner Iscol who has been coordinating much of the information from this command center. Commissioner?

Commissioner Zach Iscol, New York City Emergency Management: Thank you, sir. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Good evening, everyone. As mentioned earlier this morning, smoke traveling south from the current wildfires along the Canadian border continue to significantly impact air quality in New York City and throughout the northeast. As a result, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has issued an air quality health advisory citywide, which has been extended until 11:59 PM tonight and possibly through tomorrow.

At 4 p.m. today or earlier today, as the mayor said, the AQI, Air Quality Index, hit 484. It tops out at 500. What does that mean? Anything above 300 is considered hazardous. People should avoid physical activity outdoors. People, if you're especially in various risk groups, which I know Dr. Vasan will speak about a little bit more, should remain indoors, keep activities level low, and follow tips outlined by the mayor, including keeping your doors and windows closed, making sure your filters are clean, making sure you've closed the fresh intake on your AC if you have one.

We expect conditions to continue to deteriorate this evening. Tomorrow things may improve, but even an AQI over 150 is considered seriously unhealthy, and everyone should continue to follow public health guidance. If you look at the images that we have over here, you can see the band underneath the cloud cover of smoke actually moving through New York City. You can see how significant it is and what we are dealing with.

In the meantime, although we are talking a little bit about some of the forecasting over the next few days, I do want to just reiterate that modeling smoke and air quality is incredibly difficult to do, and so it's very important that everybody stays informed, follows the latest public health guidance and messaging. You can do this by signing up for Notify NYC. It's available in 14 languages including American Sign Language. You can sign up by going to 311 or by going to nyc.gov/notify.

I also want to say I know that times like this can be scary. It can be shocking for many New Yorkers when you step outside, when you smell and breathe this air. I will say that the mayor has assembled a really amazing and remarkable team that is working around the clock to monitor this situation, to make sure that we are keeping you informed and that we are doing all that we can to keep New Yorkers safe. One of the things that the mayor mentioned earlier today was calling his own loved ones, many of them who were at risk, to give them some guidance. All of us up here are doing the same thing for our families and loved ones that we're asking of all of you.

My kids, if they have to go outside, are wearing masks. I skipped my morning run. I'm going to skip my run tomorrow again. I even called my dad. I told him not to go outside. He doesn't listen to me. I probably should have told him to go outside. It probably would've been more effective. But I will say times like this also always bring out the best in our city. The mayor talks about that all the time, that hard times bring out the best in New Yorkers.

And if you're young and healthy, please check in on your neighbors, on the elderly, on those that might be vulnerable at this time. See if they need anything. Make sure that they have the information they need to stay safe. If they need something from the local corner store, put on a mask and do that service for them.

Our team has now issued several Notify NYCs going back to Thursday, June 1st, alerting New Yorkers of poor air quality. We've advised New Yorkers to stay indoors as much as possible. We will continue to hold our inter-agency meetings and coordinating with City Hall to do all that we can to keep you and your family safe.

And finally, just to reiterate, please if you can, we encourage everybody to stay inside. The best protection is to avoid going outside. And please stay up to date. As I mentioned, you can do that by signing up for Notify NYC. Call 311, go to nyc.gov/notify. You can even download the mobile app to your iPhone or Android device. Thank you so much. I'll turn it over to Dr. Vasan.

Commissioner Ashwin Vasan, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene: Thanks, Commissioner. It's good to be speaking with everyone again. I'm Ashwin Vasan, the Health commissioner. As many of you saw, conditions outside are worsening and have worsened throughout the day, and so we're escalating our recommendations. We continue to strongly recommend New Yorkers stay indoors, keep windows closed, perform outdoor activities only if absolutely necessary, avoid going to outdoor events if they're still scheduled. This is especially true for people who are more vulnerable: people with respiratory conditions, heart conditions, older New Yorkers, and very young New Yorkers.

If you absolutely must be outside, a high quality mask may help. But the best protection is to avoid being outside until the air clears. By high quality mask, I mean an N95, a KN95 or a KF94, all masks that we've become all too familiar with over the last three years. For New Yorkers who may be experiencing breathing problems, call 911 immediately.

We are recommending organizations postpone or cancel outdoor activities for this evening and tomorrow or to move them indoors. While these are not mandates, they are strong recommendations. The Mayor and the Chancellor wisely moved school activities indoors, and we are recommending childcare and afterschool programs at non-public schools also run activities inside.

Many of you want to know also how our hospitals are doing in our city. Broadly, we have not seen a large influx yet of emergency department admissions for respiratory or cardiovascular conditions. This is based on the Health Department's emergency department surveillance system, it's based on information from our partners at the Greater New York Hospital Association, and I know that Dr. Katz can speak to the experience at H + H later on. That could change very quickly, and it may vary according to neighborhood and according to hospital system.

Finally, I look out the window, and I see what everyone else sees: the yellow/red sky, the obscured skyline. In many ways it brings back memories, both through sight and through smell, of my visits to India throughout my youth. I've been saying to folks today, "It feels like Delhi in a hot day in June." If you feel anxious, if you feel worried, that's totally understandable. If you just need to talk and be reassured, call 988. Support is standing by. Thanks.

Mayor Adams: Open up for a few questions on topic.

Question: Mr. Mayor, could you walk through what 484 means for folks at home who are hearing these numbers? If it's 200 or 300 or 400, what does that mean in common everyday terms?

Mayor Adams: Do you want to do that, Dr. Vasan?

Commissioner Vasan: Sure. You can see the scale above. 301 or higher is a hazardous condition. In consultation with our environmental health experts, our air quality experts, those at the state and at the CDC, they note that there isn't a number after which we make specific recommendations. We have to take each situation clearly, but this is extremely dangerous air outside. This is an environment where we are recommending every single New Yorker, if they don't have to, stay indoors. That's a very strong recommendation. And for us to make that recommendation, the quality of the air must be extremely poor.

What is the result of that? Lung conditions exacerbated, heart conditions exacerbated, mucosal membranes from the eyes, the nose, the ears, irritated, burning, throat burning. So we recommend stay doors. It's the safest way. This is an extremely high level. As the mayor said, we haven't seen levels like this in decades. We also haven't seen levels rise this quickly, this suddenly over the last 24 hours, almost ever, because frankly, we don't get wildfire smoke here in this way like this. And once again, climate change is real. It's a public health issue. It's at our doorstep from thousands of miles away. I don't know what more evidence we need than what's happening all around us right now.

Question: Thank you. Given that it sounds like the air quality emergency isn't likely to go away anytime soon, at least in the next few days, maybe just for the Chancellor as opposed to the mayor, is DOE considering canceling school on Friday when students are supposed to come back? And then as a separate question for you, Mr. Mayor, is the administration considering having some other city agencies go remote since you're recommending that no one should be going outside unless they really have to?

Chancellor Banks: Okay, yeah. We're taking it day by day, and we're being advised by the experts here, and we're being led by their guidance each day. So tomorrow, we were fortunate tomorrow; all students were not scheduled to be in schools, professional development day. And we have now also made the decision to allow all of our schools to work remotely for their professional development activities. So the students were already scheduled not to be in school tomorrow, but now we've also allowed the teachers and the principals, administrators to work remotely. We've just recently given that direction as well. We are certainly looking at projections for Friday, but we'll make decisions for Friday tomorrow.

First Deputy Mayor Wright: Dawn can speak to the city agencies.

Commissioner Dawn Pinnock, Department of Citywide Administrative Services: With respect to our city workers, we are once again taking this day by day. So we've already issued guidance that provides agencies with a level of discretion to have flexible scheduling, which would include early dismissals where operationally feasible, potential reassignments to alternate work locations, and lastly, that could also include limited telework.

Mayor Adams: Identify yourself.

Commissioner Pinnock: My name is Dawn Pinnock, and I'm the commissioner for the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services.

Question: Can I ask something really quick, just for maybe Dr. Vasan or one of the other health experts? With pets, is there anything that pet owners should be thinking about during an air event like this? What to do?

Commissioner Vasan: It's a great question, actually, and this came up also with respect to our carriage horses where animals process poor air differently, they have different respiratory systems, and they can't wear masks. So we are recommending that you don't take your pets outside either, or at least limit and reduce the amount of time you're having your pets outside. I know dog owners have to take their dogs outside, unless you have a carpet cleaning bill that you can afford. But also for our horse-drawn carriages and other animals, they're at a particularly different risk. And so this is a hazard for all living creatures.

Mayor Adams: And just to go back to the closing of city employees, the city still must function. There are jobs that must continue, police, fire and other professionals, those essential services, because the city has to still operate. And that's why the commissioner stated that we're asking agencies to use the discretion as much as possible. But this city has to operate, and this team will be providing the leadership, we will be here. And we are expecting those essential services to continue.

Question: There was mention earlier of a plan to distribute masks to the public through precincts and firehouses. Is that online yet? When is it going to be online? Is that the only way that masks are going to be distributed?

Mayor Adams: No, actually I'm going to go to a few NYCHA developments myself, as I did during Covid, to hand out masks. We have one of the best mobilizations teams in New York City Police Department. Every community has a precinct, a firefighter location. We want to use those as the foundation, and then we're going to extend to other locations that we could have mass distribution.But we're also asking our local nonprofits and community-based organizations to join us. I spoke with the governor about an hour or so ago. She's going to give us 400,000 masks. We have some in our warehouses. And so we want to utilize our cert teams and other community-based groups to assist in the distribution of masks to those who are in need. Local community groups are aware of where the areas are that people are dealing with those preexisting conditions that could be aggravated by this.

Commissioner Manuel Castro, Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs: Thank you, I'm Manuel Castro, the commissioner for the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs. We are particularly focused on getting masks and information to immigrant worker centers so that they can distribute this information and resources to delivery workers and other folks who are working outdoors and will continue to be exposed to the smoke. And again, we're prioritizing getting this information out to immigrant communities in multiple languages, making sure everyone gets this information. Thank you.

Question: On the note about remote work, what would be your message to private employers? Should folks work from home tomorrow if possible in general?

Mayor Adams: Again, we are saying use proper discretion, and any entity where you know an employee or staffer has preexisting conditions, we would strongly encourage to allow them to work from home. We believe, unless people must come out, the best thing to do at this time is to remain indoors.

Original source can be found here.