08/30/2026
ISLAND SENIOR: WILDFIRES AND OTHER DISASTERS
Globally, it’s been an intense wildfire season in the northern hemisphere. Luckily for us our little corner of the world has faired pretty well. Even the worst of the smoke went around us… so far. We may not be able to see our mountains but our air-quality has remained relatively fair compared to other parts of the country. We’ve seen the apocalyptic imagery from Spokane and that brings the devastating impacts of wildfire pretty close to home. Hundreds of buildings in our state have been destroyed and thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate.
The Red Cross has a booklet you can download free from the Red Cross website, Redcross.org, titled: Disaster and Emergency Preparedness for Older Adults: A Practical Guide to Help Plan, Respond and Recover. This booklet contains a wealth of practical information. It serves, as a handy checklist to make sure you are prepared as best is possible for all manner of disaster likely to occur in our location, wildfires and earthquakes being most likely. This booklet includes a section called, Tips For Caregivers, good to know if someone you support will require your assistance or if you are in the care of someone else.
Meanwhile, fires are still burning. We are not out of wildfire season yet. Shifting winds could bring more smoke our way. Checking with AccuWeather.com for air quality in the San Juan Islands they say our air quality (as of August 20) is “Fair”. That means, “The air quality is generally acceptable for most individuals. However, sensitive groups may experience minor to moderate symptoms from long-term exposure.” Included in, “sensitive groups” are very young children, those over 65, and those with any sort of lung or heart disease.
If like me, you are in the “sensitive” category you may not want to spend the entire day outdoors but if you must, consider wearing a good quality mask like an N95. As hard as it is to stay indoors in the summer if it’s too smoky to see the mountains it might be a good day to stay indoors and read a book. Locally, a great resource for emergency preparedness is San Juan County/Town of Friday Harbor Department of Emergency Management. You can sign up with this local resource to receive emergency alerts and severe weather warnings by text, cell phone, or email. Sign up at, islandsready.org/island-alerts-1, or call, 360-370-7612.
If smoke persists one simple home remedy is to introduce steam into your environment. Steam can help mitigate the presence of particulates in your breathable air. Tiny droplets of water in the steam attach themselves to particulate in the air and by force of gravity will bring them down. Steam can be produced just by taking a shower but simmering some aromatic herbs on the stove can help bring down particulates while making your house smell great! Soon enough we will be welcoming back our lovely rainy weather.
Resources:
1. Sign Up for Local Alerts: islandsready.org/island-alerts-1 Or call – 360-370-7612
2. Check Current Local Air Quality: AccuWeather.com•
3. American Red Cross: Redcross.org - Disaster and Emergency Preparedness for Older Adults: A Practical Guide to Help Plan, Respond and Recover
