Power Outages and Kincade Fire FAQ
Academic Resource Guide for Faculty and Advisors
Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019 — 1:41 p.m.
Thanks to the incredible work of the firefighters and other first responders who have worked tirelessly to protect our county, the Kincade fire is now more than 60% contained and the threat has diminished greatly. Thanks to their work, SSU has never been under direct threat during this incident.
Classes, the library, and regular business operations will resume as planned on Monday, November 4.
Residence halls will reopen on Saturday, Nov. 2, at noon. Dining services will resume for campus residents with meal plans at that time. We will hold events and activities starting at noon on Saturday. Only essential personnel will be allowed on campus until then.
We recognize that some people in the SSU community have lost homes, experienced lengthy evacuations, and otherwise been impacted by the incident. Sonoma State will support students, faculty, and staff in need through NomaCares. A Resource Guide for Faculty and Advisors and a Resource Guide for Students are available as well.
Donations to help members of the SSU community impacted by the Kincade fire and related evacuations can be sent to: NomaCares donations.
Until campus reopens, questions can be directed to emergency@sonoma.edu or our call center: (707) 664-3911.
Thank you for your patience, care, and concern throughout this incident. We are #SonomaStrong.
Monday, Oct. 28, 2019 — 6:50 p.m.
SSU is not under immediate threat, but given the extent of the Kincade fire and its regional impacts, Sonoma State University will remain closed for the rest of the week. Classes and regular business operations will resume on Monday, Nov. 4.
To enable students to return to campus safely, residence halls will reopen on Saturday, Nov. 2, at noon (12 p.m.) Dining services will resume for campus residents with meal plans at that time.
All residence halls and buildings will remain locked until Saturday at (noon) 12 p.m. Only essential personnel will be allowed on campus until that time.
Classes will not be held this weekend. However, if it is safe to do so, we will allow events and activities starting at (noon) 12 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2, including athletic events and concerts at the Green Music Center.
We will continue to provide updates via email and the SSU website. Questions can be directed to emergency@sonoma.edu or our call center: (707) 664-3911.
Please continue to put safety first.
Monday, Oct. 28, 2019 — 3:08 p.m.
We will provide an update by 5 p.m. today as to the status of our campus re-open plans. Thank you for your patience as we monitor the dynamic events surrounding the Kincade fire.
Monday, Oct. 28, 2019 — 11:30 a.m.
SSU is not under immediate threat, but given the extent of the Kincade fire and its regional impacts, campus remains closed through Tuesday, Oct. 29.
All classes, activities, business operations, and events are canceled. All residence halls and buildings are locked. Only essential safety personnel are allowed on campus.
Please know that on Tuesday, Oct. 29, PG&E may initiate more Public Safety Power Shutoffs for the region. Air quality remains variable and is in the unhealthy range in some areas. Please exercise caution and avoid being outdoors.
Campus emergency management is in close contact with county officials and we are monitoring the situation through our Emergency Operations Center.
We will continue to provide updates via email and the SSU website as this situation evolves. We encourage everyone in our community to continue to put safety first.
Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019 — 2:15 p.m.
SSU is not under immediate threat, but given the extent of the Kincade fire and its regional impacts, campus will be closed through Tuesday, Oct. 29.
All classes, activities, business operations, and events are canceled. All residence halls and buildings are locked. Only essential safety personnel are allowed on campus.
We will continue to provide updates via email and the SSU website as this situation continues to evolve. We encourage everyone in our community to put safety first.
Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019 — 7:36 p.m.
SSU is not under immediate threat, but given the nature of the Kincade fire and its regional impacts, campus is now fully closed.
Campus is closed through Monday, Oct. 28. All classes, activities, business operations, and events are canceled. Residential students have left the campus. All buildings are now locked.
We will continue to provide updates via email and the SSU website as this dynamic situation continues to evolve. We encourage everyone in our community to put safety first.
Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019 — 3:03 p.m.
SSU is not under immediate threat, but given the nature of the Kincade fire and its regional impacts, we have made the decision to CLOSE the campus, including residence halls and dining services.
Residents who are able to leave campus safely and go to a safe place are strongly encouraged to leave in their own cars. If you have space in your car and are able to take friend(s) with you, we encourage you to do so.
Residents who are unable to leave campus safely and go to a safe place, are REQUIRED to report to the Student Center lounge by 5:30 p.m. Students must bring go-bags to the Student Center. Please pack medications, valuables, toiletries, clothes, chargers, towels, and all necessary academic materials in your go-bag.
Campus is fully closed through Monday, Oct. 28. All classes, activities, business operations, and events are canceled.
We will continue to provide updates via email and the SSU website as this dynamic situation continues to evolve.
Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019 — 11:41 a.m.
Campus remains closed through Monday, Oct. 28. All classes, activities, business operations, and events are canceled. The residence halls remain open and dining services are available for residents who have meal plans. We anticipate that power will be shut off at Sonoma State at some point in the next few hours.
The PurpleAir monitoring on campus is our source for air quality readings. Air quality has been deteriorating this morning and has risen above 150, which is unhealthy for everyone.
N95 masks and charging stations are available for campus residents in the Barrel Room near the Sauvignon Green from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Residents should wear masks when outside and minimize time spent outdoors. Instructions on how to appropriately use N95 masks are available at the distribution site. Residents also should be sure to keep windows and doors closed.
Please know that the Kincade fire is thirty miles north of Sonoma State. We are grateful to the first responders who are working to contain the fire and who are supporting our broader community—including our impacted faculty, students, and staff.
We will continue to provide updates via the SSU website and email.
Friday, Oct. 25, 2019 — 3:24 p.m.
PG&E is scheduled to shut off power to Sonoma State University starting midday Saturday as part of a Public Safety Power Shutoff that's expected to affect 93,000 customers in Sonoma County.
Effective Saturday, Oct. 26, all classes, activities and events are canceled through at least Monday, Oct. 28. The residence halls will remain open and dining services will be provided for residents who have meal plans.
Power is expected to be restored early next week, but the timing is uncertain as to when we will be able to reopen. Please continue to check the SSU home page and your SSU email for updates.
Before leaving campus today, employees should close all windows and unplug computers, copiers, fax machines and all other electronics. Please also be sure to clean perishable food out of refrigerators before leaving campus.
For more information, you can also check social media: Facebook or Twitter. The SSU hotline always has the most up-to-date information about campus closures: 1-888-533-5388. Also, you can email questions to emergency@sonoma.edu or leave a voicemail on our call center line: (707) 664-3911.
All faculty, staff and students already are opted-in to our emergency notification system. All others can opt in by texting SSUALERTS to 67283.
Thank you for our patience and cooperation. Please be careful during the power outage and remember that there will be stoplight failures and other potential road hazards.
Friday, Oct. 25, 2019 — 10:27 a.m.
Smoke from the Kincade fire in northern Sonoma County continues to be of concern throughout our region. We are closely monitoring air quality at Sonoma State and will provide updates as this incident continues to unfold.
At this time, the Air Quality Index (AQI) based on the Purple Air monitoring at SSU has remained at levels below 150.
We will begin distributing N95 masks for employees and students if the AQI levels exceed 150. A campus-wide notification will be sent so everyone is aware of the mask distribution sites.
In the meantime, please keep all windows closed. And, if air quality diminishes, please be sure to stay indoors as much as possible and always wear masks when outside.
Meanwhile, a red flag warning has been issued for our region, and Sonoma State is preparing for the possibility of another PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff beginning on Saturday afternoon. If this power outage occurs, SSU could be without power for several days. Staff and faculty, please shutdown your computers, clean out the refrigerators, and take anything you need with you when you leave today. In the event of a power outage, we will notify the campus as decisions are made about class cancellations, residence halls, and suspension of business operations.
Please continue to check the SSU home page and your email for updates on air quality and the possibility of a PSPS this weekend.
Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019 — 10:44 a.m.
Sonoma State remains open for classes and business today despite the fires in northern Sonoma County. The Kincade fire, which began about 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday night, has now grown to more than 10,000 acres. Although smoke is visible from many parts of the county, the fire is located more than 30 miles to the north and does not threaten the campus. Our air quality is safe for now, but we will be monitoring the fire as well as air quality.
Meanwhile, we express our concern and support for our neighbors to the north, those who have been evacuated, the first responders who are battling this blaze and all of those who may be experiencing stressful reminders of the fires that devastated our region two years ago. We also recognize that many of you are among the 27,000 in Sonoma County who are without power due to PG&E's latest Public Safety Power Shutoff.
These are challenging days. Please be aware that support is available on campus for all those negatively impacted by what is happening in our county. Some of these services are listed below.
As a reminder, the emergency notification system allows designated campus administrators to communicate critical campus information and updates to students, faculty and staff using text message, email and office phone. All students, faculty and staff are opted-in. To opt in for emergency alerts, please text SSUALERTS to 67283.
Please continue to monitor the SSU home page and your email for updates. If you want to call and leave a message, call (707) 664-3911. Someone will get back to you as soon as possible.
Stay safe everyone.
Resources:
SSU Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS), 1088 Stevenson Hall, (707) 664-2153