Homeowner shares critical tips for surviving poor air quality during wildfire season: 'When it's bad, try to …'

One Redditor thought the r/preppers community would be the perfect forum to ask for advice about dealing with poor air quality during wildfires. 

They pointed out that they live in an area of "high fire risk" and that to avoid exacerbating the situation, power companies often turn off energy access to local properties. 

This means that homeowners are often left unable to use air filtration devices that can help reduce the likelihood of wildfire smoke causing respiratory illnesses. 

"We have air filters and n95 [masks], but what else is worth prepping?" they asked.

"Can you get a home energy audit?" one Redditor replied. "It might help you identify drafts and such, sealing them would help keep the house clean."

"For indoor, you want to keep your home closed up on days with poor air quality," another added. "In addition to your in-home HVAC, you also may want to consider running additional portable HEPA air filter(s) in the rooms you occupy." 

They also said that going outside was not a good idea: "When it's bad, try to stay indoors."

One useful tip to deal with a lack of grid-provided power is investing in domestic solar panels. This means that when energy companies shut off energy access, you can keep the lights on and your air filtration devices running. 

In addition to providing better extreme weather resilience, solar panels will help reduce your reliance on the grid even when power is available. This can significantly decrease your energy bills and limit the amount of power you access from energy providers that still heavily rely on dirty fuels.

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When burned, oil, coal, and gas produce planet-warming pollution, which traps heat in the atmosphere and encourages temperatures to rise. This increases the chances of extreme weather events such as droughts that make wildfires more likely, so creating clean power can make a real difference in efforts to minimize these risks.

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