'Smog refugees' struggle to escape 'Airpocolypse' in Beijing

Winter has arrived in Beijing, and residents are struggling to escape the heavy smog that has settled on the city.  This season the air pollution in China — stemming from power plants, factories, vehicles and other sources — has grown so bad during the past five days that it has put the safety of half a billion people at risk. Since polluted areas of north and central China were put under red alert from Friday until Wednesday by authorities, the haze has thickened, impacting everyday life and causing tens of thousands of "smog refugees" to evacuate. SEE ALSO: The smog smothering India is so thick you can actually see it from space On Friday, Xinhua, an official news agency in China, reported that road construction has been halted, several schools have suspended classes and residents have been advised to remain indoors until conditions improve. According to The China Daily , the smog has been so disruptive to travel that severe flight cancellations and delays have taken place at local airports. Ctrip, China’s leading online travel agent, expected 150,000 people to flee the smog by traveling to places like Australia, Indonesia, Japan and the Maldives. See how heavy #smog descends on Beijing on Friday, as the Chinese capital issues 2016’s first red alert for air pollution (Xinhua/Jiang Yan) pic.twitter.com/yQP9zjDnuv — China Xinhua News (@XHNews) December 16, 2016 Wondering what northern China's #airpocalypse really feels like? This was the view in suburban Tangshan, Hebei province, yesterday afternoon pic.twitter.com/hsJS2w8NZF — Greenpeace East Asia (@GreenpeaceEAsia) December 20, 2016 Had both air purifiers in bedroom for the night so kitchen and living room had hazardous levels in the morning. pic.twitter.com/kTv6MKnIDT — Lauri Myllyvirta (@laurimyllyvirta) December 19, 2016 State media reported that 169 flights were canceled at Beijing Capital International Airport, where visibility fell to 300 meters (984 feet) at one point. In Tianjin, a nearby city, authorities also canceled 350 flights and closed all highways in the municipality, which made it extremely difficult for unhappy residents to escape. Many people, such as Jiang Aoshuang, decided to take cover in smog-free regions of China, which  became quickly packed. Aoshuang told the Global Times she evacuated with her husband and 10-year-old son to stay safe from the smog and protect their lungs.  The family headed to Chongli, a ski resort about three hours north-west of the Beijing, where they discovered they weren't the only ones with the idea. "It really felt like a refugee camp,” Aoshuang said.  181 flights to and from Beijing Capital Int'l Airport canceled due to #smog; highways closed as air pollution red alert continues pic.twitter.com/dJ6BGVrBwN — CCTVNEWS (@cctvnews) December 20, 2016 Priorities. In Henan, children take an exam outdoors in the smog. https://t.co/gK58PteksN pic.twitter.com/yyhjJ5fR7k — Chris Buckley 储百亮 (@ChuBailiang) December 20, 2016 huge area of smog in China's #airpocalypse easily seen from orbit pic.twitter.com/qOG6jQ9m03 — carl parker (@parkertwc) December 21, 2016 On Saturday, after pollution levels soared to more than 10 times the safety limit, Beijing and 22 other Chinese cities were forced to impose emergency measures such as banning vehicles from the road and ordering factories and schools to close. Some teachers went so far as to live-stream lessons to children in their classes. Beijing was also issued smog-related red alerts in 2015, and India has also dealt with serious smog as recently as November.  The Associated Press contributed reporting. BONUS: First red smog alert is issued in Beijing