The mesh Wi-Fi network that kept residents online during Hurricane Sandy more than a decade ago helped New York City residents face another disaster this week. Thanks to the network, a pollution monitor at an urban farm in Red Hook, BK can add the data it gathers to a national air quality map. That helped residents see how polluted the air was outside as wildfire smoke choked the city this week.
The Verge snapped some photos of the apocalyptic scene in the Big Apple yesterday — from amber skies to desolate streets. To stay updated, you can follow the EPA’s air quality monitoring tool AirNow. Its forecast for Thursday is still bad — not quite a Code Maroon (hopefully) but a Code Red for “unhealthy” air.
The Northeast US is blanketed in smoke that drifted in from wildfires in Canada. The pollution is so bad, New York City briefly ranked as the most polluted city in the world. And particle pollution from smoke can be up to 10 times more harmful to human health than soot from other sources like tailpipes and factories, research has found.
