I’m exhausted and I never even went out into the field. I’ve been working since Saturday night, and my Sunday, Monday and Tuesday night shifts were dominated by fire coverage. My headache hasn’t even gone away yet.
While the wild fires were burning a group of editors from the Graphic produced this special section. To read more coverage and to see the photos in color check out on the Online Graphic.
From: President Benton [mailto:presidentbenton@pepperdine.edu]
Sent: Mon 10/29/2007 10:54 PM
To: *********
Subject: California Fires and the Pepperdine Community
Dear *****:
I have received many calls from Pepperdine University alumni inquiring about the well-being of our campus in the wake of the devastating fires that struck Southern California. I am grateful to be able to share with you that all of our campuses in Los Angeles and Orange counties are safe and secure.
Property damage at our Malibu campus was limited to a portion of a pool shack near the Baxter Drive swimming pool and three cars parked in the Theme Tower lot. The rest is merely landscaping. After missing two days of classes due to the closure of roads leading to and through Malibu, our students, faculty, and staff returned to the daily routines of higher education which, in less dramatic times, we might be tempted to take for granted. I am profoundly grateful to my administrative colleagues who prepared us so well; to the students, faculty, staff, and even vendors who responded so remarkably; and to the fire and law enforcement personnel who worked all hours, literally, to protect us so ably.
Due to Pepperdine's state-of-the-art emergency planning, instantaneous messages were sent to students, faculty, and staff, providing hour-by-hour updates on the status of the campus, roadways, and best practices for personal safety. We know our campuses well and we know how the physical plant will respond to extreme conditions.
The extended firebreaks around the Malibu campus worked precisely as intended. Although our planning historically has focused on earthquakes, heavy rain, and fire, we also think about other kinds of incidents that have befallen America's campuses and cities in recent years. We have established detailed plans for those contingencies as well.
Unfortunately, some members of the Pepperdine community who live off campus did suffer loss. The apartments of students Erin Chinen, Becca Thompson, [Editors Note: Becca Patterson's apartment was damaged] and Kailey Fullerton were damaged, and alumnus Dane Nielsen and faculty members Sonia Sorrell and Connie and Bernard James lost their homes.
Crises, in their own unique ways, do enable us with opportunities to serve. In that regard, our Malibu campus became a command center and a place to rest for Los Angeles County firefighters, while our on-campus reservoir provided water for aerial water drops. Pepperdine has also served as a meeting place for members of Malibu Presbyterian Church to gather in the aftermath of their church facilities burning to the ground.
Our prayers and support are with all of our students, faculty, staff, and neighbors as they relocate or make plans to rebuild. Wherever you may live, we encourage you to join us in serving those throughout Southern California who are in need. If you are aware of members of the Pepperdine community who have been affected, we particularly ask that you provide us with details so that our wide network of alumni and friends can provide prayerful support.
In recent days I have heard inspiring accounts of Pepperdine people who have volunteered their homes, their time, and their labor to help others. We have seen everyday heroes working quietly, selflessly among us -- which is, in truth, precisely what we have come to expect from this marvelous University community, committed to strengthening lives for purpose, service, and leadership.
In closing, I would ask that you take a moment to write or e-mail me about those heroes -- especially those connected to Pepperdine University -- whom you have witnessed in action. I would enjoy the opportunity to hear your stories and share them with others.
Sincerely,
Andrew K. Benton
President
If you or any students you know where quoted in the media regarding the fire please let me know so I can compile a list of links and quotes.
- Chris
By Joe Strupp Published: October 23, 2007 4:05 PM ET NEW YORK When the wildfires raging throughout Southern California neared Pepperdine University in Malibu on Sunday, campus officials shut down servers used by all campus Web sites. Unfortunately, that included the Web site of Graphic, the student newspaper, creating a four-hour disruption when the paper was in the midst of covering the raging fire's impact on students, many of whom were being evacuated and seeking information about university events. "They just decided to do it, but they didn’t take into account that it would affect the newspaper Web site," said Editor-In-Chief Shannon Kelly. "They said they didn't do it on purpose."
Read More >>>
BY JANE LEE
News Editor
Dr. Michael Casey, Pepperdine professor of communication, passed away Monday night surrounded by family at Kaiser Hospital in Woodland Hills after a battle with cancer. He was 53.
Casey, who was initially diagnosed with cancer in April of 2006, served as the Carl P. Miller Chair of Communication and was in the middle of his 21st year of teaching at Pepperdine.
Winds and anxieties seemed to have died down by the evening.
"There is ash still raining in the immediate vicinity, but the wind is not as strong as had been," said JB Bre, a member of Pepperdine's IT department who assisted the emergency response program.
Students received flashlights for cyclical blackouts and rested in the assurance that classes are cancelled tomorrow.
Read More >>>
The Malibu fire is still zero percent contained and has burned more than 2000 acres, but students and staff have been told to return to their on-campus residences by Pepperdine’s emergency response team, according to the Emergency Operations Committee’s (EOC) associate vice president Rick Gibson.
Three homes and two commercial buildings have been confirmed destroyed and at least nine other residences have been damaged.
The structural loses include Malibu Presbyterian Church and Pepperdine faculty member, Connie James' house, which is close to the church. Flames also destroyed Malibu's famous Passion castle.
Read More >>>The Graphic Web site was shut down for more than two hours by the Pepperdine EOC while covering the fire this afternoon.
“The committee decided that with an emergency of this magnitude, it was necessary to put the University message upfront,” Gibson said.
The EOC has since allowed online coverage to resume.
John McEwen and some off his suitemates used the 45 minutes opportunity to grab books to grab a television and a Playstation and Halo. Situated outside the bookstore students are getting a much need diversion.
