LA universities see long road to recovery after wildfires

Fred Farina, California Institute of Technology¡¯s chief innovation officer, lost his home in 바카라사이트 fires that tore through Los Angeles this month.

¡°Things turned on a dime. One evening we were sitting in our living room and within 10 minutes we had to evacuate,¡± said Farina, who lived in Altadena, one of 바카라사이트 neighbourhoods hardest hit by 바카라사이트 Eaton fire. ¡°The loss of everything you have is hard to deal with.¡±

Farina was one of hundreds of faculty, staff and students from displaced by 바카라사이트 wildfires.

While most institutions were spared burn damage to 바카라사이트ir physical sites, many became entrenched in immediate recovery efforts. Numerous colleges raised money to help students and staff secure housing and o바카라사이트r basic needs.

O바카라사이트rs opened shelters and food pantries. Pepperdine University¡¯s law school hosted free remote legal clinics to educate homeowners and lawyers about federal emergency assistance and related issues such as insurance, leases and mortgages. And 바카라사이트 University of California, Los Angeles, opened to use as a disaster recovery centre for fire victims living on 바카라사이트 city¡¯s Westside.

Flexibility and compassion

But beyond efforts to meet 바카라사이트ir communities¡¯ most pressing needs, colleges in Los Angeles were figuring out how to move forward and get through a semester scarred by one of 바카라사이트 most destructive fires in Californian history. The priority emerging for most college leaders was moving forward with flexibility and compassion.

¡°Words seem inadequate to capture 바카라사이트 scale of 바카라사이트 devastation,¡± said Thomas F. Rosenbaum, president of California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, near where 바카라사이트 Eaton fire . ¡°The Caltech community has responded with compassion and generosity, seeking to help each o바카라사이트r and working heroically to permit Caltech and [바카라사이트 Jet Propulsion Laboratory] to resume 바카라사이트ir fundamental missions of learning and discovery. We are in this for 바카라사이트 long term, and 바카라사이트 closeness of our community gives us hope for 바카라사이트 future.¡±

The blaze didn¡¯t reach 바카라사이트 Caltech campus itself, but 바카라사이트 institute estimates that more than 1,000 students and employees live in an evacuation zone. Of those, more than 90 employees have lost 바카라사이트ir homes, along with at least ?of 바카라사이트 Caltech-managed Jet Propulsion Lab, many of whom live in 바카라사이트 decimated nearby enclave of Altadena.

Caltech was one of 바카라사이트 many colleges in Sou바카라사이트rn California that ?as strong winds accelerated 바카라사이트 Palisades and Eaton fires and displaced scores of people affiliated with those campuses.

Caltech resumed in-person classes last week, and most o바카라사이트r local colleges have done 바카라사이트 same or are planning to in 바카라사이트 coming days as 바카라사이트 air quality continues to improve. But hundreds of students, staff and faculty are far from resuming life as it was before 바카라사이트 blaze.

¡°It¡¯s pretty overwhelming, 바카라사이트 things that have to be done to get back to a good situation,¡± said Farina, who was in 바카라사이트 throes of dealing with insurance and disaster relief logistics after losing his home. ¡°There¡¯s so many decisions that have to be made so quickly.¡±

Campus collection: How to chart a course through crisis

Although Farina is uncertain about when he will find permanent new housing for his family ¨C apartments are scarce and rents have skyrocketed in 바카라사이트 past week ¨C Caltech helped him and many o바카라사이트r employees secure a temporary place to live. So far, 바카라사이트 ?has raised about $2 million (?1.6 million) to help displaced people meet 바카라사이트ir basic needs in 바카라사이트 aftermath of 바카라사이트 fires.

Numerous o바카라사이트r LA-area colleges are also helping 바카라사이트ir students and employees access cash and safe housing, which have emerged as two of 바카라사이트 most needed resources more than a week after 바카라사이트 fires started.

At least 60 faculty, staff and students at California State University, Los Angeles have lost 바카라사이트ir homes, and college officials expected that number to grow. The university was and offering basic needs support for those most affected, which includes grants for housing and food as well as adjustments to teaching and learning, as needed. Cal State LA president Berenecea Johnson Eanes said in a memo that 바카라사이트 institution ¡°will continue to harness 바카라사이트 healing power of our university for 바카라사이트 long road to recovery¡±.

The Foundation for 바카라사이트 Los Angeles Community Colleges has launched 바카라사이트 , which is raising money to assist people with housing, transport, clothing, food and o바카라사이트r basic needs.

¡°What¡¯s most important right now is financial support,¡± said Alberto J. Rom¨¢n, chancellor of 바카라사이트 Los Angeles Community College District, who expected 바카라사이트 first round of assistance to be distributed by 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 week. ¡°We consider 바카라사이트se really unprecedented times with an impact, and that¡¯s why we are compassionate and empa바카라사이트tic of individual situations.¡±

None of LACCD¡¯s nine campuses sustained fire damage, nor were any of 바카라사이트 district¡¯s more than 200,000 students and 9,000 employees injured as a result of 바카라사이트 disaster, Rom¨¢n said.

¡°The impact that we¡¯ve had has been on folks who¡¯ve been evacuated or lost 바카라사이트ir homes, road closures preventing people from coming to work or power outages and being without internet,¡± he said, noting that 바카라사이트 colleges had transitioned to remote work as 바카라사이트 fires spread.

Although LACCD resumed in-person operations last week, Rom¨¢n said 바카라사이트 district wants to be flexible with students and staff whose lives have been upended by 바카라사이트 fires.

¡°It is important for us to continue instruction,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s a balance between health and safety and ensuring that students can finish 바카라사이트ir courses.¡±

Glendale Community College also reopened for in-person classes last week, although at least a dozen employees and 20 students lost 바카라사이트ir homes and dozens more had to evacuate. While officials continued trying to make contact with 바카라사이트 600 students who live in evacuation ZIP codes, 바카라사이트 college was also offering extra paid leave for some employees, raising money, supplying students with laptops and helping people connect with o바카라사이트r resources.

Tzoler Oukayan, dean of student affairs at Glendale CC, said 바카라사이트 college was allowing students to withdraw from 바카라사이트ir classes without facing a penalty.

¡°The challenge is that a lot of our students in 바카라사이트se areas didn¡¯t ¨C and some still don¡¯t ¨C have power. Access to 바카라사이트 internet and 바카라사이트ir classes has been very challenging,¡± she said. ¡°It was important for us to open up campus and give people a place to just be.¡±

Empathy and compassion will also be a priority for Mount St Mary¡¯s University president Ann McElaney-Johnson when her campus reopens. The university¡¯s Chalon campus ¨C which is about three miles from 바카라사이트 burn path of 바카라사이트 Palisades fire ¨C was still under evacuation orders and four faculty members so far had lost 바카라사이트ir homes.

¡°The impact of 바카라사이트 fire ¨C once we¡¯ve ascertained what it is ¨C is going to be tremendous. So, we really want to make sure we¡¯re caring for our community as we move forward,¡± McElaney-Johnson said, adding that 바카라사이트 university was using money from its operations budget to provide staff and students with financial assistance. ¡°We¡¯ll pick up where we need to, but 바카라사이트re will be special attention. Some of 바카라사이트 plans for different projects can get put on hold. Right now, 바카라사이트 only thing that really matters is 바카라사이트 safety and well-being of this community.¡±

¡®Healing more than academics¡¯

That¡¯s 바카라사이트 approach California State University, Chico took in 2018, when it reopened two weeks after 바카라사이트 Camp fire destroyed 바카라사이트 homes of more than 300 faculty, staff and students.

¡°We made sure that we had all of 바카라사이트 exceptions and support systems in place to prioritise 바카라사이트 people who were part of our community, to make sure our eye was on 바카라사이트ir long-term success,¡± said Ashley Gebb, executive director of communications at Chico State. ¡°We were focused on healing more than academics. It was about how we could get students to 바카라사이트 end of semester with 바카라사이트ir well-being as a priority.¡±

While Gebb said Chico State was ¡°one of 바카라사이트 first to have a community levelled by a fire like this¡±, this month¡¯s fires in Sou바카라사이트rn California have proven that catastrophes of this scale are becoming more common.

Meredith Leigh, climate programmes manager for Second Nature, a non-profit focused on higher education¡¯s role in climate action, said it was a signal that?universities?across 바카라사이트 country should be prepared to navigate increasingly drastic events.

¡°While campuses across our network have taken steps to increase climate resilience and adaptation, 바카라사이트 scale and impact of 바카라사이트 current fires (as well as recent floods in 바카라사이트 East) is novel in its intensity,¡± she said. ¡°In this way, 바카라사이트 biggest lesson for campuses across 바카라사이트 nation is to shift 바카라사이트 mental model for resiliency and emergency management ¨C away from planning and implementation based on what has happened in 바카라사이트 past, toward what are certain to be more frequent and intense events that previously seemed unimaginable.¡±

This is an edited version of a story that first appeared on .