A series of wildfires are causing mass devastation across Southern California. The first fire started in Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7, and has since spread across large parts of the Los Angeles area, destroying homes, businesses, and forcing thousands of people to evacuate. Many Los Angeles residents are still waiting for possible evacuation orders for their areas, including college students, who are seeing up-close how neighboring towns are being overtaken by flames.
“It’s just been really scary and intimidating, even though there’s no active threat as of now,” Madison Melocoton, a freshman at the University of California, told People. “But it was really weird. It was trippy seeing everything happening right in front of our window.”
As of 10 a.m. EST on Jan. 9, the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles covered nearly 27 square miles and destroyed hundreds of structures, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The nearby Eaton Fire has burned nearly 16 miles of land across Pasadena and Altadena. And the Hurst Fire, located in a neighborhood of Los Angeles, grew to over 800 acres in size but had been about 10% contained at the time of this writing.
While many California residents wait for possible evacuation orders, there are plenty of resources out there that can help college students stay up-to-date on the fires in their areas. So, here are some resources to turn to if you’re a college student in California wanting real-time updates on the wildfires, evacuation orders, and more — because there’s nothing more important than staying safe.
UCLA
If you’re a student at UCLA, there are plenty of ways for you to stay up to date on the fires. Students with a valid email address in MyUCLA are automatically enrolled to receive BruinALERT emergency notifications via email. You can update your emergency info with your phone number in MyUCLA to receive alerts via text.
Students can also follow UCLA Updates and UCLA BruinALERT on X/Twitter for updated emergency information and campus resources.
Pepperdine University
Students at Pepperdine University can follow the school on X/Twitter for real-time updates on the fires. The university also publishes emergency messages on their Emergency Information site.
USC
Those attending the University of Southern California (USC) can follow the school on Twitter for important updates regarding the fires, student activities, campus support, and more. The university also posts updates on their Emergency Information page with the latest news for students.Â
USC is offering plenty of resources during this devastating time, including campus support and intervention, and counseling and mental health staff available for students. For campus support and intervention, call (213) 740-0411 or email uscsupport@usc.edu. For counseling and mental health services, call (213) 740-9355 (WELL).
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University students can follow the school’s official Twitter account or visit the the Community Advisory for updates on the ongoing wildfires. LMU also offers support and resources via email and phone — just email communitysupport@lmu.edu or call 310-338-2893.