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The Mat-Su Borough issued a Halloween evening air quality advisory from 3 p.m. Wednesday until high winds subside in Butte, Wasilla and Palmer, seen here in a Tuesday photo. Officials say dust, as well as silt from the Knik and Matanuska Rivers, is being whipped up and making conditions "unhealthy to dangerous." (Courtesy Charlene Booth / October 31, 2012) |
ANCHORAGE, Alaska—
The Mat-Su Borough has issued a Halloween night air quality advisory for Palmer, Wasilla and Butte, with high winds making air quality in the region “unhealthy to hazardous.”Borough grants and planning coordinator Pamela Graham says the advisory was initiated at 3 p.m. Wednesday, due to dust and silt whipped up from the Knik and Matanuska rivers, and will remain in effect until the wind subsides.
“Children, the elderly, and persons with existing heart or lung disease should stay indoors and reduce physical activity,” Graham wrote in a statement. “The general population should avoid vigorous outdoor activity.”
Graham tells Channel 2 that parents and children who go out trick-or-treating should keep an eye on local conditions, which will vary across the borough, and exercise good judgment about whether to stay outside.
“So just pay attention to your surroundings and if it feels too nasty, just don’t go out,” she said.
Channel 2 chief meteorologist Jackie Purcell says high winds in the area are expected to continue overnight, subsiding by Thursday morning.
Contact Chris Klint
