Thursday Update: Southern California Wildfires

To the Emerson community,

I’m writing from Los Angeles with an update on the wildfires and their impact on Emerson Los Angeles (ELA). It is hard to describe the chaotic scenes and the devastating feelings people, including many in Emerson’s extended community, are experiencing in this crisis. Our hearts go out to everyone affected directly or indirectly by these tragic circumstances, and we are grateful for the heroic work of our first responders. 

Strong winds and spreading fires last evening, including the Sunset Fire north of the ELA campus, led us to preemptively evacuate the ELA building as a precautionary measure. Several students, staff, and I relocated overnight to a downtown Los Angeles hotel out of an abundance of caution. I want to thank Tim Chang and Chad Hagan Myers, among many others at ELA and in Boston, for their work last evening to support and protect our students and staff. 

The Los Angeles Fire Department has now lifted the Sunset Fire evacuation zone, including the area immediately adjacent to campus. ELA will operate primarily remotely today and tomorrow. We will continue to monitor the situation carefully and remain vigilant to protect the health and safety of our community. As of today, we expect all plans to proceed for ELA’s move-in next week, and we will provide timely updates as long as they are needed to ensure our community remains well-informed.

Please remember that many resources are available for those in need, both on the ground and through the Emerson Wellness Center, UWill, the Center for Spiritual Life, the Healing & Advocacy Collective, and the Employee Assistance Program. 

Thank you,

Jay Bernhardt
President