Pepperdine Monitoring Wildfires – Update #10

Posted on November 13, 2018, 10:31 AM

The Pepperdine Emergency Operations Committee remains active today and is monitoring the ongoing impact of the Woolsey Fire. The Malibu campus continues to be free from any new flames.

Classes are canceled and campuses closed today for both Malibu and Calabasas. These campuses will remain closed throughout the Thanksgiving holiday period, and students will receive information from professors via email about remote administration of courses no later than 5 PM today. All staff should check with their supervisors regarding work expectations for tomorrow and the coming days.

In response to questions regarding the Malibu and Calabasas campus closures, the University has developed a Woolsey Fire community updates website to host frequently asked questions. Additional responses will be added as new information becomes available.

The Woolsey Fire is now 35 percent contained and has burned more than 96,000 acres and destroyed more than 426 structures. A smoke advisory is currently in effect for residents in the Los Angeles area. The air in Malibu continues to be impacted by residual smoke, and health officials have recommended that anyone outside wear a mask. The University will provide recommended masks to any University community members at the Malibu or Calabasas campuses.

The City of Malibu, areas of unincorporated Los Angeles County, and other areas where many of our students and employees live remain under a mandatory evacuation order. All roads into Malibu including Pacific Coast Highway and all canyon roads remain closed, and no persons are permitted to re-enter Malibu until further notice. The 101 freeway is open, but off ramps are stilled closed between Valley Circle and Liberty Canyon.

The National Weather Service has extended the Red Flag Warning through Wednesday, November 14, at 5 PM for gusty northeast winds and very low relative humidity throughout the mountains and coastal areas of Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

We will continue to keep the community updated as new information becomes available.

Pepperdine Monitoring Wildfires – Update #9

Posted on November 12, 2018, 10:00 AM Updated on November 13, 2018, 10:37 AM

Pepperdine’s EOC remains active and monitoring the Woolsey fire which has burned 91,500 acres, is 20% contained, and has destroyed 360+ structures. A Red Flag Warning remains in effect through Tuesday, November 13 at 5:00 PM. Sustained winds of 20-30 MPH and gusts up to 55 MPH are predicted.

University officials continue to closely monitor the activity. The Malibu campus remains free of any significant new flames, although spot fires may still occur. LA County Fire continues to use Alumni Park for air operations support, drawing water from our campus lakes to fight fire activity in Malibu Canyon. The air in Malibu is impacted by residual smoke, and health officials recommend anyone outside wears a mask.

Road closures remain in place throughout the region preventing individuals from entering the area. However, PCH south is currently open to exit the Malibu area.

L.A. County issued a boil water notice Sunday night for the Los Angeles County Waterworks District No. 29’s Point Dume and Encinal Canyon areas and the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District’s customers south of Westlake Village, east of the Ventura County line, north of the City of Malibu and west of Corral Canyon. This order does not apply to the University’s Malibu campus.

In response to questions already coming in regarding the Malibu and Calabasas campus closures, the University has developed a Woolsey Fire community updates website to host frequently asked questions. Several questions and answers are available for faculty and staff and additional responses for students will be added on an ongoing basis.

Modified Schedules for Malibu and Calabasas Classes through Thanksgiving Holiday Period

Posted on November 11, 2018, 11:26 AM

Pepperdine University is continuing to assess the impact of the Woolsey Fire on our campus and our community of faculty, staff, and students. After an extensive evaluation, which included an assessment of the needs of our community members, as well as ongoing challenges presented by the Woolsey Fire, University officials have made the decision to close the Malibu and Calabasas campuses through the Thanksgiving holiday period. Regularly scheduled classes and events held on the Malibu and Calabasas campuses will resume on November 26, 2018. All other campuses, including our international programs, remain open, and classes will be held as scheduled.

All classes held on the Malibu and Calabasas campuses remain canceled for Monday, November 12, and Tuesday, November 13. Beginning Wednesday, November 14, through the resumption of regular operations after Thanksgiving, classes impacted by the closure of the Malibu and Calabasas campuses will be administered remotely through a combination of online, email, and remote assignments. Students should expect further detail from their professors by email no later than 5 PM on Tuesday, November 13. This remote administration of courses will not require students or faculty to remain in the Los Angeles area or be available during regularly scheduled class times.

We know that significant clean-up will be required in the Malibu area, including at Pepperdine, and have begun to transition from emergency management to a plan of business recovery and continuity. We realize that an extended closure of this nature raises several questions, and the University is currently creating a resource for faculty, staff, and students in order to address them. Faculty and staff at the Malibu and Calabasas campuses, including critical support personnel and additional staff needed for campus operations, will receive more information regarding work schedules for the period of November 14 through November 21.

At this time, the fire is somewhere between five and ten percent contained, and more than 83,000 acres have been burned. The City of Malibu, areas of unincorporated Los Angeles County, and other areas where many of our students and employees live remain under a mandatory evacuation order.

All roads into Malibu including Pacific Coast Highway and all canyon roads remain closed. The National Weather Service has extended the Red Flag Warning through Tuesday, November 13, at 5 PM for gusty northeast winds and very low relative humidity throughout the mountains and coastal areas of Ventura and Los Angeles counties. While we are confident that the University is favorably positioned to manage these conditions, fires remain in areas adjacent to the campus, which are being monitored closely by the University.

We will continue to keep the community updated on fire conditions and impact as new information becomes available. The latest updates can be found on the University’s Emergency Information Page.