Update 11:43 p.m.: We just received the following e-mail:
Hi everyone,
There have been many questions about what’s going on with
UCSD’s response to the fires and this email should sort out many of the
questions. Please read carefully.
At present moment, no one at UCSD is evacuating the campus.
Our campus is not currently in immediate danger and we have NOT been told by
authorities that we need to move. However, UCSD and ERC have measures in place
and we are prepared if conditions should change. We will tell you as soon as we
know so please check your emails regularly and keep your ears open.
All resident advisors should be on campus and for the most
part in their rooms, so you can contact them if you have any specific concerns.
In terms of lockouts, please follow normal procedure and although the SAC will
be closed, the RA on duty will still be receiving calls. The duty number is
858-534-5518. We will give you all the
information we have and please realize that we generally are learning things as
your learn them.
If you are looking for information concerning UCSD’s
preparedness, you can go to http://emergency.ucsd.edu and you will be
redirected to the UCSD emergency status webpage. To quote briefly from the
website:
“…we want to assure
all those concerned that at this point, no evacuation is necessary. If an
evacuation were needed, UCSD officials have developed a comprehensive plan for
a safe and orderly evacuation.”
This website will provide you information about future
school closure and is a good resource for links to information about the fires.
You may also want to receive text message and phone call
alerts from UCSD’s emergency notification system. You must register your phone
to do that. Please go to http://blink.ucsd.edu/Blink/External/Topics/How_To/0,1260,22756,00.html
and follow the directions.
Lastly it is encouraged that everyone stay inside because of
the poor air quality. If you are planning on leaving your room please be
careful and breathe through a cloth, if possible. If you are leaving campus
please notify your RA so we can account for you. However, traffic is terrible
as many main roads are congested and/or closed; it is highly recommended that
you all stay close to home.
Our best advice now is to be calm and stay prepared. It
would not be best to speculate on hearsay and allow wild rumors to become fact.
This does not mean we can’t be ready for a situation if it does occur. We can
be calm and collected and still be cognizant that there are many fires in the
county and that we are prepared and will take necessary steps to ensure our safety.
Please let us know if you have any questions and enjoy your
evenings as best you can.
Best,
I-House RAs
We just got off the phone with Danai Leininger, the Guardian‘s associate sports editor and a
residential adviser at UCSD’s
He said the RAs recently had a special meeting with Residential Life staff, and
the message is that no evacuation is expected tonight — though plans are in
place in case one is needed.
"We’re telling people to prepare because we can’t predict the
course of the fires and if something drastically changes then we may have to
leave,"
Leininger said.
Should an emergency evacuation be needed, Leininger said the university will
use its text-message notification system and e-mail — and if all else fails,
the RAs will pull the fire alarms and organize the students outside.
