California colleges and universities are mobilizing to support members of their own and surrounding communities who are reeling from catastrophic wildfires. Our deepest condolences go out to the victims of these devastating fires—students, faculty and staff, community members, and families who have lost their homes and remain under continued threat.
Since early January, some of the deadliest and most destructive fires in California history have ravaged the Los Angeles area. The fires, which have yet to be fully contained, have killed at least 27 people, destroyed thousands of structures, and forced over 100,000 people to evacuate their homes while burning through more than 40,000 acres of land.
While the numerous college campuses in and around Los Angeles have thus far avoided major damage, many of their students, faculty, and staff have lost their homes or been impacted in other ways. In response, institutions have leapt to assist in any way they can, including distributing emergency supplies and raising funds for community members in need. Occidental College and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona are among the institutions that have established relief funds for students, faculty, and staff affected by the fires.
“What’s most important right now is financial support,” Alberto J. Román, chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District, told Inside Higher Ed.
Institutions are also helping members of their surrounding communities. Pasadena City College (PCC) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) donated space for and helped prepare two Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recovery centers. Along with FEMA employees, staff from dozens of nonprofit organizations and state and local government agencies are on site to help survivors apply for financial assistance, find new housing, replace lost documents, and learn about additional disaster relief resources.
“The safety and well-being of the Los Angeles community remains our priority,” said UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk. “We are committed to working with first responders and disaster relief agencies to support their work and leverage our resources to support those in need.”
PCC is also offering free child care for families impacted by the fires in collaboration with the Pasadena Unified School District and YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles. The care is open to children of first responders, those who lost or cannot yet return to their homes, and those whose schools are temporarily closed.
Some campuses have pitched in directly to stop the blazes. Pepperdine University, which maintains two reservoirs of recycled water, has given the LA County Fire Department access to these lakes and increased the amount of water in them. Meanwhile, six members of the University of California, Davis Fire Department traveled to Los Angeles to join first response efforts.
Colleges and universities across the region are also providing or connecting students and employees with emergency housing and financial assistance, masks and air purifiers, expanded counseling resources, loaner computers and Wi-Fi hotspots, and access to showers and kitchens.
While institutions assess the damage they’ve sustained and what it will take to recover, leaders emphasize the need for flexibility and solidarity.
“Right now, the only thing that really matters is the safety and well-being of this community,” Ann McElaney-Johnson, president of Mount St. Mary’s University, told Inside Higher Ed.
Photo courtesy of California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE)