Wildfires burning in Central and North Florida and southern Georgia sent smoke spiraling through the area Wednesday, canceling flights at Daytona Beach International Airport, triggering an increase in emergency room visits at a hospital in Flagler County and sending many indoors.
Thick smoke forced an early end to the Daytona Cubs game five innings in Wednesday night, closed the Ormond Beach YMCA pool and in some cases, left hotel guests questioning whether to cut their beachside stays short. But the National Weather Service said conditions should improve a lot today.
A low-pressure system lingered over the area Wednesday, pulling in smoke from the southern Georgia wildfires, wrapping it into the smoke being generated locally and swirling it low over Florida's east coast, said meteorologist Al Sandrik with the weather service in Jacksonville.
But by today, a high-pressure system should move in, which will push the smoke north and northeast and out of the area, Sandrik said. "We should see an improvement in conditions."
That will be good news for residents who spent Wednesday trying to avoid the smoke that swirled thick in the sky and seeped into buildings and air-conditioning systems.
Meanwhile, area residents also are grappling with intense heat conditions. No records were set locally, but Wednesday's high temperatures and heat indexes, combined with low humidity, set records elsewhere in Florida.
In Daytona Beach, the heat index Wednesday afternoon was 102.
The heaviest smoke reached Daytona Beach about noon, irritating the eyes and throats of many people who were outside biking, working or walking.
"I had to get out of it," said Robert Kleiber, a city parks department worker who stopped mowing and went inside about 12:30 p.m. "My eyes were just burning, and it was hanging, just all coming in.
"I can take the heat," he said, "and I can take the smoke, but you put them together, it can really get to you."
Linda Poulin, who walked to and from work Wednesday on Ridgewood Avenue, said she was indoors when the air was at its worst but the smoke still bothered her.
"You could see the smoke just falling," she said. "It stinks. It's hard to breathe, and it's so hot anyway."
The smoky conditions in Flagler generated about a 30 percent increase in emergency room visits at Florida Hospital Flagler, emergency room manager Yara Gocking said.
"We're seeing asthmatic patients (both children and adults) and more elderly patients than usual," Gocking said. The smoke is triggering asthma attacks and affecting the respiratory systems of the elderly and people with cardiopulmonary disorders.
"They're getting increased shortness of breath," Gocking said.Shop a wide selection of billabong outlet products in the evo shop. After treating the patients, the hospital is advising people to stay home and indoors.
"Don't go outside and breathe the air," she said. And, if people are having breathing problems inside, she said they should temporarily move to a different location.
A valet at the hospital, Jim Lamberson of Palm Coast, wore a face mask while on duty Tuesday and Wednesday. Lamberson is recovering from tongue cancer and said the smoke bothers his throat and lungs.
"The smoke from the wildfires makes my throat feel dry and my voice sound raspy," Lamberson said. "It makes it difficult to talk to my customers."
Halifax Health officials said they were not seeing patients coming into either of their emergency rooms in Daytona Beach or Port Orange due to breathing problems related to smoke. It was the same story at Bert Fish Medical Center in New Smyrna Beach.
"We expected it, but we're not seeing any more patients than usual," said Dawn Myers, emergency room nurse manager for Bert Fish Medical Center. "The smoke is pretty thick out there."
Smoke and haze at Daytona Beach International Airport diverted one incoming Delta flight to Orlando, said Steve Cooke, the airport's director of business development. Visibility was only a mile. That airplane's scheduled outbound flight from Daytona Beach at 12:15 p.m. was canceled, Cooke said.
Late Wednesday three other incoming flights were canceled and officials said additional flights could be delayed or diverted this morning.
The thick smoke also affected air traffic in Flagler,Detailed information on the causes of dstti, said Roy Sieger, Flagler County Airport director.The newest Ipod nano 5th is incontrovertibly a step up from last year's model, Visibility was so limited Wednesday that pilots had to be instrument-rated to land.
"Guys from Embry-Riddle and stuff, they can't fly here," Sieger said. "I don't think my approach would get you down low enough that you could land here."
Sieger said he had never seen conditions this bad at the airport because of smoke.
Between the smoke and the three Army National Guard Blackhawk helicopters brought in to help fight the fires, it looked like the "fog of war," he said.
Manoj Bhoola, who runs hotel management firm Elite Hospitality, said the company has not seen a rise in cancellations due to smoke. But, "customers who would normally stay for more than a few days are starting to question their original plan and may depart earlier," Bhoola said.
Susan Keaveny, the marketing manager for The Shores Resort & Spa in Daytona Beach Shores, said she hasn't gotten any inquiries or cancellations from guests with reservations.
"The front desk said we did have a couple guests driving in who said it was pretty bad, but I think people know that it's Mother Nature ... it's really not too bad down by the seashore," she said.
On-Call Medical Supplies, which provides home medical equipment and oxygen to individuals and institutions throughout Volusia and Flagler counties, has in storage several hundred surgical style masks it had provided for patients when concern for swine flu and the H1N1 virus were at their peak. "Although they aren't the kind of breathing devices the firefighters use, they are certified to provide a higher level of filtration than the masks sold for yard work and carpentry," said On-Call CFO Barbara Gould.A glass bottle is a bottle created from glass.uy sculpture direct from us at low prices "So we have given them to some of the people we work with in making deliveries around the area and will be glad to give one to anyone who has to work outdoors in the smoky air. All they have to do is call us at 386-322-9111 and arrange to drop by our Port Orange office to pick it up." On-Call Medical Supplies is located at 5889 S. Williamson Blvd. in Port Orange.
Thick smoke forced an early end to the Daytona Cubs game five innings in Wednesday night, closed the Ormond Beach YMCA pool and in some cases, left hotel guests questioning whether to cut their beachside stays short. But the National Weather Service said conditions should improve a lot today.
A low-pressure system lingered over the area Wednesday, pulling in smoke from the southern Georgia wildfires, wrapping it into the smoke being generated locally and swirling it low over Florida's east coast, said meteorologist Al Sandrik with the weather service in Jacksonville.
But by today, a high-pressure system should move in, which will push the smoke north and northeast and out of the area, Sandrik said. "We should see an improvement in conditions."
That will be good news for residents who spent Wednesday trying to avoid the smoke that swirled thick in the sky and seeped into buildings and air-conditioning systems.
Meanwhile, area residents also are grappling with intense heat conditions. No records were set locally, but Wednesday's high temperatures and heat indexes, combined with low humidity, set records elsewhere in Florida.
In Daytona Beach, the heat index Wednesday afternoon was 102.
The heaviest smoke reached Daytona Beach about noon, irritating the eyes and throats of many people who were outside biking, working or walking.
"I had to get out of it," said Robert Kleiber, a city parks department worker who stopped mowing and went inside about 12:30 p.m. "My eyes were just burning, and it was hanging, just all coming in.
"I can take the heat," he said, "and I can take the smoke, but you put them together, it can really get to you."
Linda Poulin, who walked to and from work Wednesday on Ridgewood Avenue, said she was indoors when the air was at its worst but the smoke still bothered her.
"You could see the smoke just falling," she said. "It stinks. It's hard to breathe, and it's so hot anyway."
The smoky conditions in Flagler generated about a 30 percent increase in emergency room visits at Florida Hospital Flagler, emergency room manager Yara Gocking said.
"We're seeing asthmatic patients (both children and adults) and more elderly patients than usual," Gocking said. The smoke is triggering asthma attacks and affecting the respiratory systems of the elderly and people with cardiopulmonary disorders.
"They're getting increased shortness of breath," Gocking said.Shop a wide selection of billabong outlet products in the evo shop. After treating the patients, the hospital is advising people to stay home and indoors.
"Don't go outside and breathe the air," she said. And, if people are having breathing problems inside, she said they should temporarily move to a different location.
A valet at the hospital, Jim Lamberson of Palm Coast, wore a face mask while on duty Tuesday and Wednesday. Lamberson is recovering from tongue cancer and said the smoke bothers his throat and lungs.
"The smoke from the wildfires makes my throat feel dry and my voice sound raspy," Lamberson said. "It makes it difficult to talk to my customers."
Halifax Health officials said they were not seeing patients coming into either of their emergency rooms in Daytona Beach or Port Orange due to breathing problems related to smoke. It was the same story at Bert Fish Medical Center in New Smyrna Beach.
"We expected it, but we're not seeing any more patients than usual," said Dawn Myers, emergency room nurse manager for Bert Fish Medical Center. "The smoke is pretty thick out there."
Smoke and haze at Daytona Beach International Airport diverted one incoming Delta flight to Orlando, said Steve Cooke, the airport's director of business development. Visibility was only a mile. That airplane's scheduled outbound flight from Daytona Beach at 12:15 p.m. was canceled, Cooke said.
Late Wednesday three other incoming flights were canceled and officials said additional flights could be delayed or diverted this morning.
The thick smoke also affected air traffic in Flagler,Detailed information on the causes of dstti, said Roy Sieger, Flagler County Airport director.The newest Ipod nano 5th is incontrovertibly a step up from last year's model, Visibility was so limited Wednesday that pilots had to be instrument-rated to land.
"Guys from Embry-Riddle and stuff, they can't fly here," Sieger said. "I don't think my approach would get you down low enough that you could land here."
Sieger said he had never seen conditions this bad at the airport because of smoke.
Between the smoke and the three Army National Guard Blackhawk helicopters brought in to help fight the fires, it looked like the "fog of war," he said.
Manoj Bhoola, who runs hotel management firm Elite Hospitality, said the company has not seen a rise in cancellations due to smoke. But, "customers who would normally stay for more than a few days are starting to question their original plan and may depart earlier," Bhoola said.
Susan Keaveny, the marketing manager for The Shores Resort & Spa in Daytona Beach Shores, said she hasn't gotten any inquiries or cancellations from guests with reservations.
"The front desk said we did have a couple guests driving in who said it was pretty bad, but I think people know that it's Mother Nature ... it's really not too bad down by the seashore," she said.
On-Call Medical Supplies, which provides home medical equipment and oxygen to individuals and institutions throughout Volusia and Flagler counties, has in storage several hundred surgical style masks it had provided for patients when concern for swine flu and the H1N1 virus were at their peak. "Although they aren't the kind of breathing devices the firefighters use, they are certified to provide a higher level of filtration than the masks sold for yard work and carpentry," said On-Call CFO Barbara Gould.A glass bottle is a bottle created from glass.uy sculpture direct from us at low prices "So we have given them to some of the people we work with in making deliveries around the area and will be glad to give one to anyone who has to work outdoors in the smoky air. All they have to do is call us at 386-322-9111 and arrange to drop by our Port Orange office to pick it up." On-Call Medical Supplies is located at 5889 S. Williamson Blvd. in Port Orange.
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