Working diligently to ensure Californians are ready before, during and after disasters, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) invites all Californians to learn more about air quality and clean air practices.
As climate-driven disasters continue to become more complex, every Californian has a role to play to help clear the air and reduce pollution.
In particular, the state is recognizing October 4, 2023 as “Clean Air Day,” which encourages Californians to take small actions to create new habits that help reduce air pollution in their community. To learn more about the actions you can take, visit CleanAirDay.org.
Whether it’s during a wildfire, severe storm or flooding, there’s simple steps you can take to stay safe if there’s poor air quality near you:
- Use common sense to guide your activities. When air quality is poor, it’s not a great time to spend time outdoors, especially for children and older adults.
- Consider wearing an N-95 mask. If you must be outdoors, you may want to wear a NIOSH-certified N95 respirator mask.
- If possible, stay indoors and take steps to keep indoor air as clean as possible, keeping windows and doors closed until the air quality improves.
- Continue to monitor your area’s air quality. You can visit the California Local Air Quality Management Districts website and check your community’s air quality conditions at airnow.gov.
“Clean Air Day” also falls within the final month of “Spare the Air” season, during which California residents are encouraged to be extra aware of air pollution levels and keep an eye out for “Spare the Air” alerts. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about simple steps you can take to reduce air pollution and what to do on poor air quality days.
Make sure you know what to do the next time your community experiences poor air quality. For preparedness resources, visit ListosCalifornia.org and check out more tips for staying safe.