(NEW YORK) — Tucked away from the main roads in Twentynine Palms, California, is a desert oasis. It’s at The Campbell House that the palm trees and greenery thrive amid the hot, unrelenting sun. It’s also where some 30 men have gathered for a weekend retreat.
The men come from different races, socio-economic backgrounds and age groups. They’ve joined the men’s group Evryman, to do what most of them have never done before: to open up and be vulnerable with themselves, and one another.
The retreat is intense, emotional, peer to peer work that’s aided by the Evryman facilitators. They’re there to help these men in their emotional journey; to tell them that it’s okay to feel anger, to feel shame and to cry.
For most of the day, the men are put into groups, varying in size. They are given prompts to ask each other things like, “When is a time something didn’t go your way?” and “How did it make you feel?”
Each man takes a turn answering the question. The other men in the group then analyze the responder’s emotion as he gives his answer. The purpose of this is to make these men feel seen and heard.
Kyle Somersall of Brooklyn, New York, is a soft-spoken 32-year-old man. He said he joined Evryman because it was an opportunity to better himself and to create stronger bonds with other men.
“I was pretty numb to my loneliness,” he told ABC News.
Somersall said that growing up, he wasn’t given the space to express himself.
“What I learned about what it means to be a man was really neglecting my emotions and feeling shame about crying or feeling shame about having emotions,” he said.
It’s precisely why Evryman co-founder Owen Marcus said he started the group.
“There’s an emotional pandemic of men just giving up and being lonely,” he told ABC News.
He hopes that men’s groups like his will help men realize that they are not alone.
“One of the things that these men get to do at these retreats, is they get to be in an emotionally safe space with other men, and whatever way they want…to allow themselves to feel what they have never felt before,” he said.
Throughout the weekend, guttural cries and screams echoed in the desert oasis.
One of those cries came from Scott Wright of Everett, Washington. He said it was important for him to come to this retreat because of patterns he wanted to change.
“These patterns cost me my first marriage. And my second marriage is nearly done because of that. And I just wanted to learn how to connect with myself better,” he said.
Somersall also had an emotional breakthrough.
“Stop!” he continuously yelled as he was being held by a group of men. His sobs eventually took over. They came from a place of pain.
“I was feeling a lot of emotion in my throat and in my heart. It was feeling neglected emotionally, just feeling really alone,” he said. “There is just a feeling of being broken feeling down and feeling unworthy of love.”
Somersall said the experience changed him.
“I’ve never fully let myself go in front of others in this capacity,” he said. “Being able to be held by a group of men and seen and understood by them and have it resonate for them as well- that felt really, really powerful.”
As the weekend drew to a close, a lot of these men seemed lighter, and more chipper than when we first met them. As the men prepared to leave the retreat, they hugged and expressed their love and gratitude for one another.
“I got even more than I expected. I was really able go deeper than I could have gone on my own and just release a ton of emotion,” Somersall said. “I feel closer to some of these people than I do with people that I’ve known for decades.”
(PARIS) — Eight people, including children, were injured in a stabbing in a town in the French Alps on Thursday morning, local authorities said.
The attack took place at about 9:45 a.m. local time, in Annecy’s city center, a spokesperson for the local prefecture told ABC News.
A suspect was arrested immediately and is currently in police custody, the spokesperson said.
“Several people including children have been injured by an individual armed with a knife in a square in Annecy,” French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Twitter.
The local prefecture said it had not yet released the health status or ages of the victims.
Annecy sits close to the French border and is about 20 miles south of Geneva, Switzerland. Tourists flock to the historic Medieval city center to stroll alongside canals, according to the local tourist office.
(NEW YORK) — The FBI agents who will be escorting Joran van der Sloot, the prime suspect in the unsolved 2005 disappearance of American teenager Natalee Holloway, back to the United States have arrived in Peru, sources told ABC News.
Upon arrival in the U.S., van der Sloot will face a federal trial on extortion and wire fraud charges stemming from an accusation that he tried to profit from his connection to the Holloway case.
Van der Sloot has been serving a 28-year sentence at the Challapalca prison in Peru for the 2010 murder of 21-year-old college student Stephany Flores. The Dutch citizen was transferred to another prison in Lima over the weekend to await his extradition to the U.S., scheduled for Thursday.
The flight carrying the FBI agents arrived in Lima around 4 p.m. local time Wednesday, sources said. Sixteen people were on the flight — including eight federal agents and eight crew members, the sources said.
Following a medical check and other extradition processes, van der Sloot and the FBI agents are expected to depart for the U.S. between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. local time. The Peruvian government told ABC News they will provide footage “showing his transfer.”
Van der Sloot lost his extradition appeal earlier this week, according to the Peruvian Supreme Court. He had filed “a habeas corpus application against the citizen extradition process,” according to a court document, and on Monday he refused to sign the laissez-passer that would allow him to be extradited, his lawyer told ABC News.
Van der Sloot was indicted by an Alabama federal grand jury in 2010 for allegedly trying to extort hundreds of thousands of dollars from Holloway’s family after her disappearance.
Holloway, 18, went missing in May 2005 while on a high school graduation trip in Aruba. She was last seen driving off with a group of young men, including van der Sloot, then 17.
Van der Sloot was detained as a suspect in the teen’s disappearance and then later released without charge due to a lack of evidence.
An Alabama judge later declared Holloway dead, though her body was never found. No charges have been filed in the case.
(ROME) — Pope Francis’ night “passed well” after he underwent intestinal surgery on Wednesday, Vatican officials said Thursday morning.
The Holy See Press Office had said Wednesday evening local time that the surgery was over and that “it took place without complications and lasted three hours.” The pontiff is expected to spend several days in the hospital recovering.
After his general audience at the Vatican on Wednesday, the pope went to Gemelli hospital in Rome and underwent “a Laparotomy and abdominal wall plastic surgery with prosthesis under general anaesthesia,” Matteo Bruni, director of the press office for The Holy See, said in a statement in Italian.
The surgery was arranged within the last few days, the Vatican said. He’s expected to stay in the hospital for several days to make a full recovery.
The 86-year-old pontiff spent three days in the hospital in March after he complained he was having difficulty breathing.
The pontiff’s March hospital stay had gone well “with normal medical progress,” as he recovered from bronchitis, Vatican officials said at the time.
Francis also had intestinal surgery two years ago for diverticular stenosis. That three-hour operation included an hemicolectomy, which is the removal of part of the colon.
Francis often uses a wheelchair or walker during public events, including when he presided over the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, his retired predecessor, in January.
Vatican officials said on Thursday they planned to release additional information on Wednesday’s procedure.
(NEW YORK) — Hazy and dangerous fumes from ongoing wildfires in Canada have engulfed the skies over much of the Northeast, prompting serious air quality alerts in at least 16 states.
Canadian officials said firefighters are scrambling to put out the blazes. So far this wildfire season, Canada has seen more than 8.7 million acres burned — an area larger than the state of Vermont.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Jun 07, 10:56 PM EDT
Biden speaks to Trudeau about wildfires: White House
President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke Wednesday about the wildfires in Canada, the White House said.
Biden offered additional assistance and also discussed the health impact of the fires, according to the White House.
“To date, the United States has deployed more than 600 U.S. firefighters and support personnel, and other firefighting assets to respond to the fires,” the White House said in a statement.
Trudeau also tweeted that “hundreds” of American firefighters have arrived in Canada, “and more are on the way.”
Jun 07, 9:27 PM EDT Hamilton and other Broadway shows canceled over health concerns
A number of shows on Broadway were canceled over health concerns of the actors, in the wake of the wildfire smoke blanketing NYC.
Shakespeare in the Park, which is performed outside, was canceled, as well as Hamilton and Camelot.
Jun 07, 8:14 PM EDT
New York City’s ‘smoke wave’ response time for warnings criticized
As New York City was bombarded with dangerous air and smoke that turned the skyline orange, some residents and environmental experts questioned if the city’s leader acted quickly enough to warn people about the dangers of the “smoke wave.”
The city’s Office of Emergency Management issued warnings on its social media pages and city alert system starting Tuesday afternoon and Mayor Eric Adams put out a news release about the dangerous air quality around 11:30 p.m.
Some environmentalists said the late notice was unacceptable given that the city’s environment was already showing poor visibility and unhealthy air earlier in the morning.
Click here to learn more.
-ABC News’ Ivan Pereira
Jun 07, 7:21 PM EDT
When to expect air quality to improve in the US amid Canadian wildfires
The wind conditions that are bringing plumes of smoke south are expected to last for several more days, experts say, as some fires in Canada continue to burn out of control.
The smoke is primarily from several wildfires burning in Quebec that is being blown south in a narrow band by an intense storm system around Nova Scotia that has not moved in several days, according to Mark Wysocki, an air pollution meteorologist who teaches at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
-ABC News’ Meredith Deliso
Jun 07, 7:01 PM EDT
What to know about the Air Quality Index from wildfire smoke and how it affects human health
Wildfire smoke contains fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, which are microscopic solid or liquid droplets — often 30 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair — that can be inhaled and cause serious health problems, according to the EPA.
PM2.5 is considered unhealthy for “Code Orange” and sensitive groups once the Air Quality Index surpasses 100, according to AirNow, a website that publishes air quality data. Once the AQI surpasses 150, it is considered “Code Red,” unhealthy for some members of the general public who may experience health effects, with sensitive groups experiencing more severe effects.
-ABC News’ Julia Jacobo
Jun 07, 6:44 PM EDT
NYC air quality deteriorates to new record level: Mayor
New York City Mayor Eric Adams updated residents on the current situation with the dangerous air quality due to the Canadian wildfires.
He said the city’s Air Quality Index, or AQI, hit 484, the highest level on record, on Wednesday afternoon. Anything above 300 is considered hazardous, according to Zachary Iscol, the commissioner for the city’s Office of Emergency Management.
“Tomorrow things may improve but an AQI over 150 is still considered dangerous,” he told reporters.
Adams said all outdoor events in the city were canceled Thursday and urged private groups to do the same.
A person wears a face mask as smoke from Canadian wildfires blankets New York, June 7, 2023.
“The best thing is that [people] remain indoors,” the mayor said.
He reiterated advisories to close windows and to wear a mask if anyone has to travel outside.
Schools were already planned to be closed Thursday, and no decision has been made about the rest of the week, according to the mayor.
Adams said the current forecast shows the situation should improve at the end of the week but warned that the situation can change.
“It is difficult to predict the movement of the smoke,” he said.
Jun 07, 6:31 PM EDT
New York to distribute 1 million N95 masks Thursday, governor says
One million N95 masks will be made available for people at state sites in New York on Thursday, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday.
Officials will distribute 400,000 masks at MTA stations, the Port Authority Bus Terminal, state parks and the Javits Center, Hochul said.
Approximately 600,000 masks will be available from NYS Div. of Homeland Security & Emergency Services, the governor said.
Hochul has urged New Yorkers to stay inside due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires.
Jun 07, 4:35 PM EDT
MLB games postponed in NYC, Philadelphia
The MLB has postponed Wednesday night’s games between the White Sox and the Yankees, set to take place in New York City, and between the Tigers and Phillies, set for Philadelphia.
The Phillies-Tigers game was moved to Thursday and the Yankees and White Sox will play a doubleheader on Thursday.
The WNBA said Wednesday night’s game between the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty, which was to take place in New York City, has been postponed due to the air quality.
Jun 07, 4:13 PM EDT
The forecast
More smoke is expected in the Northeast for the next few days.
The thickest smoke will drift south Wednesday afternoon and is forecast to envelop Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., Wednesday night and Thursday. These cities may see AQI levels reach the most severe “hazardous” level over the next 24 hours.
On Thursday afternoon, another round of smoke is expected to move over Lake Superior and into Cleveland, Ohio; Erie, Pennsylvania; and Buffalo, New York.
-ABC News’ Dan Amarante
Jun 07, 3:55 PM EDT
Why the poor air quality could cause a host of symptoms — even in healthy people
Exposure to concentrated amounts of fine particulate matter can cause both short-term effects such as irritation of the eyes, nose and throat; coughing, sneezing; and shortness of breath, and long-term effects such as worsening asthma and heart disease, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Fine particles are able to enter the body through the eyes and lungs. Not everyone feels the same symptoms, and the pollution can exacerbate existing health issues, such as asthma and allergies, Peter DeCarlo, associate professor of environmental health and engineering, told ABC News.
Click here to learn more.
-ABC News’ Julia Jacobo
Jun 07, 2:55 PM EDT
New York City tops list of world’s worst air quality rankings
New York City is topping the list of the world’s worst air quality rankings by a landslide, according to IQ Air, which monitors air quality worldwide.
New York City reached 392 on the AQI Wednesday afternoon, which is in the worst category — hazardous — on the U.S. government’s air quality tracker. Wednesday shattered New York City’s record for the highest AQI since records began in 1999.
Dubai and Delhi came in at No. 2 and No. 3 in the world with 168 and 164, respectively.
Jun 07, 3:34 PM EDT
New Jersey closes state offices early
New Jersey’s state offices closed early Wednesday as the air conditions worsened, Gov. Phil Murphy announced.
The governor has urged residents to limit their time outside.
Jun 07, 2:11 PM EDT
NY issues another Air Quality Health Advisory for Thursday
New York state officials have issued another Air Quality Health Advisory for Thursday for the entire state with the exception of the Adirondacks.
Jun 07, 1:47 PM EDT
How to stay safe from wildfire smoke
The most effective way to protect yourself during wildfire emergencies is to stay indoors or limit time outdoors when there is smoke in the air, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is especially important for those with heart or lung conditions who are at higher risk for adverse health effects.
If you can, try to avoid exercising outdoors until the air quality improves, especially those with underlying lung disease.
“People with asthma and people who already have lung disease or underlying lung problems, it can exacerbate that, it can irritate that. And if the air quality is bad enough, it can even cause some symptoms of feeling unwell and respiratory symptoms in people who are healthy,” said Dr. Stephanie Widmer, a member of ABC News’ Medical Unit.
Pregnant people should also try to avoid spending time outdoors, especially those who are further along, Widmer said.
You should wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth, fits tightly to your face and can filter out smoke or ash particles before you breathe them in, according to the CDC. N95 or P100 masks can help protect your lungs from smoke or ash.
-ABC News’ Nadine El-Bawab and Youri Benadjaoud
Jun 07, 1:06 PM EDT
FAA slows NYC air traffic due to low visibility
Due to low visibility, the Federal Aviation Administration has slowed flight traffic in and out of New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport and New York City’s LaGuardia Airport.
A ground stop is in effect at LaGuardia, meaning some flights are being held at their origin airport to ease congestion.
The average delay at Newark is about 84 minutes.
-ABC News’ Sam Sweeney
Jun 07, 11:32 AM EDT
Worst air quality yet may be headed to NYC
The worst air in the U.S. Wednesday morning is in upstate New York from Syracuse to Binghamton, where the air quality has reached the worst level — “hazardous.”
That air will move toward New York City and Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon and evening.
Tuesday brought the worst air quality to New York City since the 1960s, officials said, with New York City Mayor Eric Adams calling it an “unprecedented event.”
The mayor urged New Yorkers to avoid going outside if they can.
Adams warned Wednesday, “Air quality conditions are anticipated to temporarily improve later tonight through tomorrow morning, but they are expected to deteriorate further tomorrow afternoon and evening.”
-ABC News’ Max Golembo
Jun 07, 10:19 AM EDT
Poor air quality will last into weekend for Toronto
In Toronto, the poor air quality will last into the weekend, officials warned Wednesday.
“Air quality and visibility due to wildfire smoke can fluctuate over short distances and can vary considerably from hour to hour,” officials said in a “Special Air Quality Statement.” “Wildfire smoke can be harmful to everyone’s health even at low concentrations. Continue to take actions to protect your health and reduce exposure to smoke.”
Jun 07, 9:32 AM EDT
NYC, DC public schools cancel all outdoor activities
Washington, D.C., public schools have canceled all outdoor activities, including athletic games, for Wednesday due to the poor air quality.
A “Code RED Air Quality Alert” has been issued for the nation’s capital.
New York City public schools also canceled outdoor activities.
“We urge everyone to reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors,” NYC Public Schools tweeted.
Jun 07, 8:22 AM EDT
Long Island school district keeping students inside
In Port Washington, New York, on Long Island, the superintendent announced Wednesday that all students will stay inside during physical education and recess.
“This decision is aimed at minimizing exposure to the poor air quality and ensuring a safe learning environment for everyone,” the superintendent said.
Jun 07, 6:37 AM EDT
Air quality alerts issued for 13 states
Most of New England and much of the East Coast were under air quality alerts on Wednesday, with smoke from Canadian wildfires expected to reach as far south as South Carolina.
A new dose of very thick smoke was expected to drift into New York City and Philadelphia by Wednesday afternoon, lasting into the evening.
That smoke is then expected to move south into Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night and into Thursday morning.
Conditions around New York City and in the I-95 corridor could improve Thursday evening, but get worse in western New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, as the winds shift.
Jun 07, 12:49 AM EDT
NYC mayor says air quality expected to ‘deteriorate further’ Wednesday
The air quality in New York City worsened Tuesday evening and is expected to “deteriorate further” Wednesday afternoon and evening, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement.
“At this point, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has issued an Air Quality Health Advisory for all five boroughs. While conditions are anticipated to temporarily improve later tonight through tomorrow morning, they are expected to deteriorate further tomorrow afternoon and evening,” Adams said.
“Currently, we are taking precautions out of an abundance of caution to protect New Yorkers’ health until we are able to get a better sense of future air quality reports,” he said.
Adams said students should still go to school on Wednesday, but New York City public schools won’t have outdoor activities.
“These recommendations may change based on updated air quality conditions that come in, but, in the meantime, we recommend all New Yorkers to take the precautions they see fit to protect their health,” he added.
Jun 06, 10:09 PM EDT
Smoke from wildfires visible over Yankee Stadium
Smoke from wildfires from Canada was visible on Tuesday night over Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, as the Yankees played the White Sox, video obtained by ABC News shows.
Wildfires burning in Canada are continuing to create poor air quality conditions in parts of the U.S., with smoke clearly visible during Tuesday night’s Yankees-White Sox game in The Bronx. https://t.co/yhKArhnaNtpic.twitter.com/Np8mJyVKCa
Jun 06, 10:01 PM EDT
New York City currently has the worst air quality in the world, data shows
New York City currently has the worst air quality than any other city on Earth, as smoke stemming from wildfires in Canada makes its way across the Northeast, according to the latest data from Swiss technology company IQAir.
The air quality index in NYC is at 196 as of Tuesday evening, followed by Doha, Qatar, and Delhi, India.
The next U.S. city on the list is Detroit, which currently places eighth, according to IQAir. Toronto, Canada, sat in ninth place as of Tuesday night.
Jun 06, 11:00 PM EDT
Who is at most risk from unhealthy air
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has specific guidance for vulnerable groups if the air quality in their area is deemed “unhealthy.”
While the agency warns that all people will experience adverse side effects from exposure to the unhealthy air, it said those with heart or lung disease, pregnant people, children and the elderly are most sensitive.
Those groups should consider moving all of their activities indoors until the air quality alert is lifted, the EPA said.
Jun 06, 11:02 PM EDT
Northeast covered in haze as forecasters warn of more smoke to come
Millions of people in New York City and other locations in the Northeast scrambled to keep themselves free of the smoky air throughout the day and evening Tuesday.
The city’s skyline was barely visible for most parts of the day, and the smell of the smoke was strong as commuters hit the evening rush.
Large cities with the lowest air quality include New York City; Albany, New York and Cincinnati, a map by Airnow, a website that publishes air quality data, shows.
Another large and dense plume of smoke will be moving down across parts of the Northeast on Wednesday, according to forecasters.
That batch of very dense smoke will push down across the Northeast throughout the day on Wednesday, giving some relief to New England and the Midwest.
(NEW YORK) — Heavy blankets of smoke billowing over the U.S. from the wildfires burning in Canada are threatening the health of millions of people — even non-vulnerable populations with no preexisting conditions.
But what about the smoke makes it so hazardous for humans to be around?
Wildfire smoke contains fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, which are microscopic solid or liquid droplets — often 30 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair — that can be inhaled and cause serious health problems, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Most particles form in the atmosphere as a result of complex reactions of chemicals, such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides — pollutants emitted from power plants, industries and automobiles.
But wildfires likely contain PM2.5 that is up to 10 times more harmful than the same type of air pollution coming from combustion activity, according to a 2021 study conducted in California.
“The top offender here is these fine particles,” Dr. Vijay Limaye, a climate and health scientist at the National Resources Defense Council, told ABC News. “That size is really important because it can penetrate really deeply and wreak havoc on the body.”
PM2.5 is considered unhealthy for “Code Orange” and sensitive groups once the Air Quality Index surpasses 100, according to AirNow, a website that publishes air quality data. Once the AQI surpasses 150, it is considered “Code Red,” unhealthy for some members of the general public who may experience health effects, with sensitive groups experiencing more severe effects.
The AQI is at “Code Purple” once it surpasses 200, considered “very unhealthy” with increased health risk for all populations. “Code Maroon” is labeled as “hazardous” and a health warning for emergency conditions once the AQI reaches 300 and higher.
At Code Maroon, “everyone is more likely to be affected,” according to AirNow.
A “good” AQI is measured at 50 and below, and a “moderate” air quality index ranks between 51 and 100.
New York City shattered its record for the highest AQI since records began in 1999, measuring in at 413 on Wednesday afternoon.
Philadelphia ranked at 233 on Wednesday afternoon, while Washington, D.C., measured at 168 and Baltimore at 153, according to AirNow.
Because the particles are microscopic, they can easily enter the nose and throat and can travel to the lungs, with some of the smallest particles even circulating in the bloodstream, according to the EPA.
Inhaling toxic smoke and ash from wildfires could weaken the immune system and cause damage to the body, including the lungs and heart, for anyone regardless of their health status.
Exposure to concentrated amounts of PM2.5 can cause short-term effects such as irritation of the eyes, nose and throat; coughing, sneezing and shortness of breath, and long-term effects such as worsening of conditions including asthma and heart disease, according to the EPA.
(NEW YORK) — Canadian wildfires are impacting states as far south as Georgia, with New York City experiencing some of the worst air quality in the world.
The wind conditions that are bringing plumes of smoke south are expected to last for several more days, experts say, as some fires in Canada continue to burn out of control.
The smoke is primarily from several wildfires burning in Quebec that is being blown south in a narrow band by an intense storm system around Nova Scotia that has not moved in several days, according to Mark Wysocki, an air pollution meteorologist who teaches at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
“The smoke plumes from these fires, as they rise, they’re all going to be concentrated to a very narrow kind of river, and they’re going to be carried south right across us,” Wysocki told ABC News. “The problem is there’s no chance for the pollutants to disperse. They’re just going to be held together in a high concentration.”
“As long as you’re underneath that plume, you’re going to have the highest amount,” he continued.
New York City on Wednesday shattered its record for the highest Air Quality Index since records began in 1999, as skies turned an eerie orange. The city approached 500 on the AQI Wednesday evening, which put it in the worst category — hazardous — on the U.S. government’s air quality tracker.
“We’re in a very unusual situation here because we have substantial forest fires going on in eastern Canada, which is not as common as having those kinds of fires happening in the western part of North America where the climate is drier. So that is unusual by itself,” Tony Broccoli, professor of atmospheric science at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, told ABC News. “And we also have a particularly persistent weather pattern that’s bringing the smoke from those fires south into the northeastern part of the United States.”
“Both of those things are unusual individually; having them happen at the same time is very unusual,” he continued.
Wysocki and Broccoli said the wind conditions bringing the smoke south are expected to change by the end of the week. As the intense storm over Nova Scotia gradually moves northeast, the winds will start to shift over parts of Ontario, where wildfires aren’t as large, Wysocki said.
“That should improve our air quality down here, at least in the Northeast,” he said.
Until then, officials as far south as Georgia are advising residents to be mindful of poor air quality conditions as the wildfires in Canada burn.
More than 400 wildfires are active across Canada currently, including nearly 240 that are considered out of control, Canadian officials said Wednesday.
Current projections show there will be “higher-than-normal” fire activity across Canada during the 2023 wildfire season due to warm temperatures and dry, drought conditions, according to Natural Resources of Canada.
“Our modeling shows that this may be an especially severe wildfire season throughout the summer,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a news conference earlier this week.
It’s too early to predict whether wind conditions will lead to parts of the U.S. seeing a repeat of the current prolonged, poor air quality conditions during the fire season, Broccoli said. There could also be fast-moving storms that impact the air quality for just a few hours, Wysocki said.
However, smoke will continue to be a concern this summer from the Great Lakes area to the Northeast as wildfires burn in remote, hard-to-reach areas in Canada, according to Wysocki.
“It’s not a really good situation that we are in for this summer,” Wysocki said. “There’s no end in sight for these [fires] to be put out.”
(WASHINGTON) — Former President Donald Trump received a letter from special counsel Jack Smith’s office in recent weeks informing him that he is the target of an ongoing investigation related to his handling of classified information while out of office, sources familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News.
Trump has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(KHERSON, Ukraine) — The collapse of Ukraine’s Kakhovka dam has left behind vast quantities of beached fish, contributing to fears of an environmental disaster along the country’s Dnipro River.
Video verified by ABC News showed large quantities of beached fish lying on the depleted shoreline of the Dnipro River.
In a video posted to Telegram by Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential office, a man’s voice can be heard stating that the date is June 7 and that his location is “Mar’yans’ke, Dnipropetrovsk region.” ABC News geolocated the video to Mar’yans’ke, which lies on the Kakhovka reservoir around 65 miles upstream from the dam.
The dam and hydro-electric power plant in Russia-occupied southern Ukraine breached early Tuesday, prompting mass evacuations and fears of widespread ecological devastation with Ukraine accusing Russia of committing an act of “ecocide.”
Russia has denied responsibility for the collapse, instead blaming Ukraine.
The area of Ukraine’s southern Kherson region beneath the dam continues to reel from extreme flooding, but upstream of the dam, water levels have sharply receded in the Kakhovka reservoir feeding the river.
Roman Novitskyi, who studies fish at Ukraine’s Dnipro State Agrarian and Economic University, told ABC News he was “not surprised” by the videos.
“Unfortunately this is exactly the kind of development we expected,” Novitskyi told ABC News. “The Kakhovka reservoir is shallow, so as soon as the water recedes, large areas are immediately drained.”
“In the video,” Novitskyi said. “I see a lot of crucians, gobies, carps— valuable species of fish.”
“This shows damage is being done to the fishery,” he added.
Novitskyi said the Kakhovka reservoir contains some 10-15,000 tons of fish, while the smaller Dnipro reservoir to the north contains at least 4,000 tons of fish.
Contamination fears
Yevhen Korzhov, a hydrologist from Ukraine’s Kherson State Agrarian and Economic University, told ABC News that the summer temperatures worsen the health risks from the dam breach, with living matter breaking down faster and in turn further contaminating water supplies.
“In the coming months, we will observe the deterioration of the quality of drinking water and the infection of fish, birds and aquatic animals,” Korzhov said.
Korzhov said that early calculations suggested some 3,600 square kilometers of water in southern Ukraine were at risk of contamination.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Public Health on Wednesday informed residents to expect “a plague of fish,” warning residents against collecting fish owing to the risk of botulism and intestinal infection.
And in a post on the messaging app Telegram, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that hundreds of thousands of people who normally rely on the Kakhovka reservoir have been left without access to clean drinking water.
Claims of ‘ecocide’
Kateryna Polianska, an ecologist from the Ukrainian Environment People Law NGO told ABC News that the dam collapse will bring widespread habitat disruption to important national parks such as the UNESCO- protected Black Sea Biosphere Reserve, and even on the wider region including Romania, Georgia, Turkey and Bulgaria.
“This will change the population of birds and fishes in the region. It will destroy their breeding systems,” Polianska said.
“It is a huge catastrophe for the ecosystem. It is so very hard. It’s our nature, it’s our Ukraine,” she added.
Ukraine’s country’s public prosecutor told Reuters on Tuesday that it is investigating a possible case of “ecocide” in connection with the collapse of the dam.
(NEW YORK) — Wildfires burning in Canada continue to create poor air quality conditions in the U.S. as the smoke makes its way south.
Hazy skies, low visibility and poor air quality will be present in most of the Northeast and the Midwest and even as far south as the Carolinas.
Air quality alerts have been issued in 13 states, and the worst air quality in the U.S. on Wednesday was in New York from Syracuse to Binghamton.
Smoke plumes are now extending along the East Coast, with smoky skies lingering into the Ohio Valley.
Air quality is currently deemed “unhealthy” for millions of residents. With these ratings, all individuals, not just sensitive groups, should limit time spent outdoors.
A very dense area of smoke over upstate New York has swept down across New Jersey, New York City and southern New England.
Large cities with the lowest air quality on Wednesday include New York City, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Columbus, Ohio, a map by AirNow, a website that publishes air quality data, showed. On Tuesday, New York City had the worst air quality rating in the world due to the smoke.
Another large and dense plume of smoke is making its way down across parts of the Northeast on Wednesday, delivering a one-two punch for cities like New York City and Philadelphia, which will worsen the air quality yet again — perhaps even more dangerous than conditions were on Tuesday. That batch of very dense smoke will push down across the Northeast throughout the day on Wednesday, giving some relief to New England and the Midwest but extending the smoke further south, toward Atlanta and Huntsville, Alabama.
By Thursday evening, conditions will likely improve east of the I-95 corridor and around New York City but will worsen in western New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, as the winds shift, forecasts show.
At-risk populations, such as young children, the elderly or those with lung and heart disease, should especially avoid the outdoors, according to the advisories.
A storm system approaching the East Coast this weekend will then shift winds to a more southerly direction, easing the effects of the wildfire smoke.
The smoke originated from wildfires in Quebec, where more than 160 forest fires are currently active. Some of the fires in the region were ignited by lightning strikes, according to NASA. Unusually dry and warm weather has fueled the fires.
The intensity of the fires has exceeded the capacity of water bombers, Quebec’s wildfire prevention agency announced on Monday, CTV reported.
Firefighters are currently unable to get the wildfires under control, François Legault, a member of the Canadian parliament serving Quebec, told reporters during a news conference on Monday. Firefighters in other provinces are unable to assist because they are battling their own fires but an additional 200 firefighters are traveling from France and the U.S., Legault said.
The number of wildfires in the country has grown past 400, officials said, and conditions are not forecast to improve in the coming days.
Northern U.S. states have been under the haze of the migrating smoke since early-season wildfires began to spark in mid-May.
Air quality alerts were issued for all of Montana and parts of Idaho, Colorado and Arizona due to wildfires in Western Canada.
Wildfires burning last week near Halifax, Nova Scotia, created hazardous air quality ratings in many of the regions affected by the wildfires currently burning in Quebec.
There is also an elevated fire danger from northern Michigan to Pennsylvania and New Jersey, with red flag warnings in effect for some areas. If any fires spark, they could easily spread due to the very dry conditions and gusty winds. Lightning from isolated thunderstorms in Pennsylvania and New Jersey could be a source of new wildfire ignition.
