Update:
8/20/23 at 8 p.m.
We are incredibly thankful that the threat originally posed by Tropical Storm Hilary to our campuses has diminished and our residential students are safe. Southern California does remain under warning with the heaviest rains expected to end by 10 p.m. tonight.
With conditions greatly improved, APU will resume regular operations tomorrow. Should your specific location be more seriously impacted, please reach out to your supervisor. Follow the links provided to check the condition of freeways and roads along your path. Consider signing up for emergency alerts.
Crews have been canvassing the Azusa campus and report no damage. A few small leaks were discovered and dealt with, but we expect when folks return to work, others will be noticed. To report an issue, please submit a work order. No major issues have been noted at any of our regional campuses.
The Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) will continue to monitor conditions throughout the evening and into Monday morning. If the situation remains stable, we will close out our communication via an Everbridge message tomorrow. We hope that the concerns posed by this storm provided an opportunity for all of us to reassess our preparedness for an emergency and replenish necessary supplies, including batteries, flashlights/light sticks, AM/FM portable radio, blankets, and emergency food and water for your home and vehicle.
Update:
8/19/23 at 6:35 p.m
Hurricane Hilary continues moving toward Southern California and is currently projected to be a tropical storm upon arrival, bringing high winds and rain from Sunday afternoon through Monday morning. The Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) remains vigilant in monitoring the storm’s trajectory and adjusting plans accordingly.
Among the many efforts unfolding to minimize wind- or rain-related damage on the Azusa campus, the Facilities Management team has swept roofs, checked critical drains and sump pumps, tested generators, and undertaken other tasks to reduce the potential for flooding. Emergency food and water supplies have been verified. The Residence Life team has communicated with all residential students, those who have already arrived and those scheduled to arrive soon. Regional campuses are also engaged in preparations.
As the last week of summer session courses conclude, most are clinical experiences and/or in hybrid format, allowing sessions to move online as necessary. Orientation events scheduled for early in the week will be adjusted as needed.
Where possible, Event Services is shifting programming. Please review events that are scheduled for Monday. Think about who must be on campus (if safe to do so), then take into consideration commutes (especially from impacted areas) and childcare challenges (if schools are closed). If there is the option to live stream, please explore this as soon as possible.
CIRT has several meetings scheduled for Sunday, and will be sending emails and periodically providing updates via Everbridge and the APU website. In addition to the resources provided previously, County incident response pages have been activated, including lacounty.org/emergency and riversideca.gov/fire.
8/18/23:
APU's Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) is closely monitoring the approach of Hurricane Hilary off the coast of Southern Baja. What remains of the storm system is expected to arrive in So Cal over late Sunday and into Monday. With our top priority on the safety of our community, CIRT will continue to evaluate potential impacts on our campuses and on university operations and will implement contingency plans as appropriate. We will provide updates over the course of the weekend, particularly on Sunday.
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