I've gotten into the habit of multi-blogging on the 4th of July, but I think this is the first time I've ever posted a FOR THE LOVE OF GOD STAY SAFE entry.
Specifically, anyone in the Washington DC area. You might not want to even leave your homes this afternoon / evening because donald trump is set on hosting the most dangerous 4th of July event the nation's capital has ever seen (via Julia Ornedo at the Daily Beast):
Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a cardiologist and CNN medical analyst, urged the cancellation of Trump’s Washington, D.C. rally for America’s 250th birthday, citing sweltering temperatures that could put attendees at risk.
“The same way the outdoor inauguration was canceled last year because of the cold, the rally on the Mall this July 4 should be canceled because of the intense heat (> 100 degrees),” he wrote in an X post on Thursday.
“Dangerous weather and large crowds is a bad combination,” Reiner warned. The doctor has been one of the few medical experts to demand answers about the 80-year-old president’s health, citing his Oval Office slumps and odd examination schedule.
Last year, Trump moved his inauguration indoors, claming it was due to dangerously cold temperatures in the nation’s capital.
This time, however, Trump appears bent on keeping the party going despite forecasts showing that this year’s July 4th weekend could be the hottest ever in parts of the country. An extreme heat warning is in effect for D.C. until July 5, with the National Weather Service forecasting daily temperatures that could exceed 100 degrees at times.
Heat stroke is nothing to laugh at, kids. We've already seen the effects of that on the general population because on the 3rd they had to close down trump's maligned State Fair on the Mall (video if I can embed it from AP News no I can't gotta embed the YouTube version):
I think I've mentioned I've been to DC during summers before: family trips in late July or August, and one trip to visit my brother and see the 4th celebrations in-person (when it rained and stayed muggy all night). I know how hot it can get up there, due to the natural geography (swampland with big rivers adding to humidity) and the heat reflection of all that pavement/concrete buildings.
The increase of temp extremes due to climate change - the global warming - is surely contributing to the conditions in DC, and it's something the event organizers up there should have considered planning for this major holiday (allowing for large coolers to carry more drinks, setting up more tents for shade and fans)... except planning and organizing are clearly things trump and his buddies never do well, so in that regards everyone showing up is going to suffer for it.
Making things worse is how trump wants to show off tonight as he turns the nation's birthday into his own personal partisan rally. he's ordered a "parade" of military aircraft starting early in the afternoon well into the early evening, creating noise pollution and stress for everyone across the city. After all that comes trump's planned speech (depending on if he's prepared to suffer heat stroke 30 minutes into it) and then a massive fireworks show at 11:00pm... which is far too late in the night for anyone to stay up and watch (most fireworks across our cities start at sundown and run for an hour, wrapping up by 9:30pm at the latest).
That fireworks show is another major health risk for the locals (via Alex Guillén, Miranda Willson and Ariel Wittenberg at Politico):
The National Park Service on Saturday will launch over 850,000 fireworks into the skies of Washington, bathing the capital in patriotic blasts of light for the nation’s 250th birthday.
Then comes the fallout.
Scientists have well documented the soot and heavy metal pollution that can spike severely in the wake of pyrotechnic displays, and the world-record-setting number of fireworks lined up for July 4 will mean an equally large jump in pollution, according to experts and internal NPS documents reviewed by POLITICO.
There are no indications that the administration plans to suggest masking or other personal protection for revelers viewing the fireworks from the nation’s front lawn. And the Environmental Protection Agency said tracking the air quality impacts of the fireworks isn’t their jurisdiction...
Last year, according to the park service, Washington’s display set off just 7,000 fireworks. Multiplying that by 120 could also deposit into the Potomac River water pollutants like perchlorates and heavy metals, the effects of which on humans and the environment are still not well understood by scientists...
This year’s festivities will coincide with a severe drought in Washington and 100-degree temperatures Thursday through Saturday. Washington-based utility DC Water is coordinating with the federal government to ensure there’s water available in the event of fires, as residents are known to set fireworks of their own...
The drought means that pollutants may linger longer in the Potomac than they would under normal conditions, said Tyler Frankel, an associate environmental science professor at the University of Mary Washington. Contaminants can easily get trapped in the river near Theodore Roosevelt Island due to “tidal slosh,” a phenomenon where the water flows both upstream and downstream, Frankel said...
There is a serious likelihood much of the DC metro - stretching into northern Virginia - is going to turn into a toxic health zone for the next few days, if not longer. And part of me wonders if the high humidity is going to trap things in the air or water in ways that can make it worse.
The other concern is all those explosive fireworks: There are always risks handling those things, and nearly every year there's a report of a town's firework show going awry when error trips the timing or direction of the fireworks and it causes physical harm to handlers/attendees/entire city blocks. Multiplying the number of fireworks a hundred-fold increases the risks of something going wrong, and that disaster being bigger than it needs to be.
It needs to be said every 4th of July weekend to STAY SAFE EVERYONE. But this year it's a necessity to say FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, AVOID OUR OWN NATION'S CAPITAL THIS 4TH.
Fuck you, trump, for ruining all of this.
