Latest Event Updates

Pepperdine Monitoring Rain Forecast Thursday and Friday

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The National Weather Service is forecasting a rainstorm this weekend with periods of moderate to heavy rain in Southern California beginning Thursday, November 13. Los Angeles County officials have indicated their lowest mud/debris forecast for areas in Los Angeles County, including those affected by the Palisades and Franklin Fires, meaning small isolated debris and mudflows and street flooding are possible. The County has also issued associated evacuation warnings for Thursday evening at 6 pm, including for areas in the Franklin burn scar. This means people should be aware of the rain event and be prepared to take action if needed at the direction of local authorities. Additionally, the University has prepared the Malibu campus for rainstorms and anticipates the campus will fare well in the storm. There are no anticipated peremptory road closures in our area for Malibu Canyon Road or Pacific Coast Highway.

At this time, Pepperdine University will have normal operations, including classes as scheduled on Thursday, November 13th, Friday, November 14th, and through the weekend. The University is actively monitoring the forecast and communicating closely with local and regional partners. If conditions change necessitating alternate plans, changes to University classes and operations will be communicated:

  • By 7 PM the night before the scheduling change takes effect if situational changes are known in advance; or 
  • As soon as possible after the University learns of changed conditions that result in an impact to classes and operations.

Please exercise caution when traveling to and from campus, allow extra time for your commute, and stay informed about changing weather or road conditions. Greater Los Angeles road conditions can be viewed online at www.sigalert.com. If changes are announced to roads near the Malibu campus, updates will be made to the Road Conditions Hotline at 310.506.7623 (ROAD).

This entry was posted in Malibu.

Power Outage on Malibu Campus – Update #1

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Storm-related challenges caused damage to the main electrical circuit servicing the Malibu campus. This led to a power outage at the Malibu campus earlier this morning. Southern California Edison (SCE) quickly restored the University’s electrical service with a temporary solution. SCE is now completing repairs on the electrical circuit and advises there may be another short power shutdown between 3 PM and 6 PM tonight to accomplish these final repairs.

As a reminder, during power outages, the community can expect the following on the Malibu campus:

  • All buildings have some form of power for emergency egress lighting.
  • Access control (to enter buildings, including the residence halls) switches to battery backup and remains active.
  • The Tyler Campus Center (TCC) and Payson Library have emergency power from backup generators, including for lighting. In TCC, some outlets are also energized. 
  • WiFi is supported by backup generators in TCC and Payson Library. 
  • Waves Cafe will be ready to serve a modified food service soon after the generator restores power to cooking equipment.
  • Once power is restored, WiFi service takes about 15 minutes to re-establish across campus.
  • In the event of a prolonged power outage, the University’s Emergency Operations Committee (EOC) will communicate with the University community.

The rain is forecasted to taper off this afternoon, and the University will proceed with normal operations and classes as regularly scheduled on all Southern California campuses tomorrow, Wednesday, October 15, 2025.

Drivers should monitor road conditions, drive carefully, and allow for extra travel time as needed. Road conditions may change quickly. Greater Los Angeles road conditions can be viewed online at www.sigalert.com. As changes are announced to roads near the Malibu campus, updates will be made to the Road Conditions Hotline at 310.506.7623 (ROAD).

This entry was posted in Malibu.

Power Outage on Malibu Campus

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The Malibu campus experienced a brief power outage this morning. Power is currently back on across campus, but there may be continuing power surges or additional outages throughout the day. Students and faculty may be experiencing challenges with online classes because of this disruption. The University’s WiFi service will be restored shortly. After each power outage or surge, it typically takes about 15 minutes to restore the WiFi service. 

The University is actively working with Southern California Edison to determine the cause of the outages.

This entry was posted in Malibu.

Remote Classes and Modified Operations Tuesday on Pepperdine’s Malibu and Calabasas Campuses 

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Weather forecasters are predicting rainstorms for Southern California, which will bring rain to Los Angeles County over the next two days, beginning this evening. The storm is currently predicted to bring up to 1.5 inches of rain at the coast and in the valleys and 2-4 inches of rain in the mountains, with possible thunderstorms and short bursts of intense rainfall.

Because of the possibility of these bursts of intense rain, the National Weather Service has issued a flood watch, its lowest of four warning levels. This warning is for the surrounding burn scar areas for the local fires in the past year, with particular focus on the Palisades and Eaton fires in this area, but also including the Franklin and Kenneth fires. (A Flood Watch is issued when conditions are favorable for flooding and advises people to be prepared. It does not mean flooding will occur, but it is possible. More information on the National Weather Service’s flood warnings is available here.) Los Angeles County has put out an associated evacuation warning, meaning people should be aware of the rain event and be prepared to take action if needed at the direction of local authorities. Additionally, the University has prepared the Malibu campus for rainstorms and anticipates the campus will fare well in the storm.

Given the weather forecast, the fact this is the first storm the burn scars have faced in months, and Seaver College is already on Fall break, on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, the University will shift to remote classes and critical support staffing for the Malibu and Calabasas campuses. Critical support personnel (CSP) should communicate with their supervisors about whether they should report to campus or should work remotely. Classes and operations will go on as normally scheduled at the West LA and Irvine campuses. Any impacts to campus events, including athletics, guest speakers, and performances, will be communicated by event organizers.

Pepperdine officials continue to monitor the situation and are in communication with local agency officials. The Pepperdine community should expect normal University operations to resume on Wednesday and as scheduled, for the remainder of the week at all Southern California campuses. If conditions change impacting Pepperdine, further messaging will be issued.

Drivers should monitor road conditions, drive carefully, and allow for extra travel time as needed. Road conditions may change quickly. Greater Los Angeles road conditions can be viewed online at www.sigalert.com. As changes are announced to roads near the Malibu campus, updates will be made to the Road Conditions Hotline at 310.506.7623 (ROAD).

This entry was posted in Calabasas, Malibu.