Our hearts and prayers go out to the communities being ravaged by fires and winds in Southern California. As of now, we know of several community colleges that are closed today due to intense fires and winds:
Due the recent fire activity in and around the Santa Clarita Valley, classes at College of the Canyons, Valencia and Canyon Country campuses will be closed on Monday, October 22nd. The Colleges will be opened for business, employees please check with your supervisors for more information. Please check back throughout the day for further information.
- Grossmont College and Cuyamaca College
The campuses of Grossmont College, Cuyamaca College and the district offices will officially close at 1 p.m. today, Monday, Oct. 22, 2007, due to concerns about air quality relating to the area’s wildfires and the impact of the region’s fire on students, faculty and staff. District sites will remain closed until further notice. The public will not be able to access either campus.
Due to diminished air quality from the area fires, Irvine Valley College will be closing at 2 p.m. today (Monday). We will, unless notified otherwise, resume classes on Tuesday, October 23, 2007. Saddleback College will remain open unless conditions change. Please utilize local radio and television news sources and the college website for updated information.
After reviewing this morning's information, we are closing Moorpark College today due to the air quality. The college is in no danger from the fires, but given the location of the fires and the continuing wind, the air quality is creating an unhealthy situation for our college. We will provide an update at 4 pm today.
Due to surrounding fires, Mesa College will be closed. Information regarding the closure will be communicated to the media and status reports will be provided on the District website.
- San Diego Miramar College
Due to surrounding fires, Miramar College will be closed. Information regarding the closure will be communicated to the media and status reports will be provided on the District website.
- Southwestern Community College
Southwestern Community College has determined that the health and safety of district staff and students is sufficiently at risk by fire smoke and ash to cancel all classes effective at Noon today, October 22, 2007, and that the district will remain closed tomorrow, October 23, 2007. Classes are expected to resume Wednesday, October 24, 2007. The public is advised to utilize radio and television news sources and the district website for updated information.
Mt. San Jacinto College is closed today due to high winds. Telecommunication lines are down.
Due to the wildfires and poor air quality in San Diego East County, the Palomar College District (all locations) will be closed and classes will not meet on Monday, October 22, 2007. Please recheck the website late this evening for information regarding classes on Tuesday, October 23.
- San Diego Community College District
Following this morning’s closure of Miramar College, Mesa College, and selected Continuing Education sites in the northern area of our District, the situation has continued to deteriorate. From the stress of massive evacuations affecting students and staff, the prohibitive traffic problems and road closures, the poor air quality, and, of course, the encroaching fire itself on some of our communities, this is a very difficult situation for everyone. Effective at 3:00 p.m. this afternoon, all colleges, campuses and sites of the San Diego Community College District will be closed: City College; Mesa College; Miramar College; Continuing Education; and District Office operations. All units of the District will also be closed tomorrow, Tuesday, October 23. No day or evening classes will be conducted. We will ask our faculty, staff and students to consult the District web site at any time after 5:00 p.m. tomorrow, October 23, for a status update and further information.
Colleges not affected by the disasters should be willing to assist our sister colleges in need if asked for help. Thanks to all of the colleges that are already helping out, for example, Pierce College is serving as an animal evacuation center:
Pierce College Animal Evacuation Center
All large animals from the Malibu Canyon fire can be evacuated to a large animal evacuation center set up at Pierce College .
