SUBJECT:

Wildfires in San Diego County

At this time at least two fires are burning in San Diego County, affecting many of our UC San Diego campus community members and friends. Our thoughts are with them during these difficult times.

The health and safety of our campus community is always our top priority. We are closely monitoring the progression of the fires. The UC San Diego campus is not in immediate danger and remains open. Classes will continue as scheduled. The University of California San Diego Health System hospitals and clinics also remain open.

The red flag warning in San Diego County is expected to expire on Friday at 5:00 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. While temperatures are expected to cool and humidity is expected to rise, Santa Ana winds could persist into the weekend, which could extend the warnings. We will update information if conditions dramatically change.

There are portions of San Diego County without electricity. UC San Diego is not affected and does not anticipate that the power outage will impact campus. If UC San Diego were to experience a regional blackout, our campus has the capability to separate and “island” ourselves from the SDG&E grid. Our Central Utilities Plant can then generate our own power to support identified critical loads within its capacity. And, once the campus is islanded from the SDG&E grid, all other loads can be progressively added using our emergency generators. For SDG&E information, please visit the links below.

SDG&E Website for Planned/Unplanned Outages
https://www.sdge.com/residential/customer-service/outage-center/outage-map

SDG&E Additional Page Link
https://www.sdge.com/wildfire-safety/public-safety-power-shutoffs

SDG&E Twitter Feed
https://twitter.com/SDGE

For up-to-date information on the fires, evacuation centers, and emergency response resources, visit the San Diego County Emergency website at http://sdcountyemergency.com. An additional resource is the Cal Fire Twitter Feed: https://twitter.com/CALFIRESANDIEGO

For campus status updates, visit the Blink website at http://blink.ucsd.edu.

If you have any additional questions, please contact Dismas Abelman, UC San Diego Emergency Manager, at dabelman@ucsd.edu or 858-534-5451.

Thank you, Corey Singleton Director of Environment, Health & Safety