As three major fires continue to burn through massive swaths of the northern Los Angeles metropolitan area, accounts emerge regarding both the destructive impact of the fires, as well as the outpouring of support that has arisen in response. Departments across campus reflected on how the Palisades, Hurst and Eaton fires have affected Concordia’s community. 

Though the fires are thankfully far from Orange County, locally people on and off campus are considering how to better prepare for fire danger in OC. Concordia’s Campus Safety team offered preparedness recommendations for students to keep in mind. 

“Concordia’s fire response plans include evacuation of the campus or sheltering in place depending on the nature of the wildfire and weather conditions,” said Raul Morales, Director of Campus Safety. “The university will make decisions and provide notifications based on information received from local authorities.” 

If a student observes signs of a fire near the campus, they should first contact 911 and Campus Safety, and then identify important items that will be needed upon an evacuation such as extra clothing, medications, laptops and important documents. Students are also encouraged to identify those who might need assistance in an emergency evacuation and plan to assist them or contact Campus Safety for help. 

“The Department of Campus Safety has worked with local agencies in wildfire planning,” Morales said, noting that though the Orange County Fire Authority has relayed that the fire severity risk on Concordia's campus remains low, smoke and other factors might impact campus life. 

In response to those affected and displaced by the LA fires, senior Sofia Dominguez, a member of the women’s water polo team, spearheaded the coordination of volunteer and donation efforts from the Golden Eagle sports community. “On behalf of the WWP team and as a member of the student athlete population, we’d like to give a huge thanks to the athletic administration for helping us and making this all possible,” said Dominguez. “A special thanks to Glory [Fung] and Brittany [Pereda] for immediately jumping on this idea and helping out in any way they could.”

“For CUI students, the easiest way for them to help is simply by donating! There are currently two orange ‘pods’ or containers behind the gym where students can leave their donations,” said Dominguez. “Donations will be collected Monday through Friday and taken to drop off locations this coming Sunday.” The donation effort is specifically seeking clothing (shirts, pants, new underwear, new socks, jackets, shoes (new or gently used), hygiene products, food and water, blankets and bedding, as well as comfort and entertainment (books, puzzles, playing cards, or games).

“We will simply be taking as many donations up until Friday and then loading up a U-Haul on Sunday to take to multiple donation spots,” said Dominguez. “[These] will be intended for current students and their families displaced by fires, the Pacific Southwest District LCMS Pastors and Congregations and first responders. We are looking for all hands on deck to load up the U-Haul with donations before heading up to LA.”

As potentially dangerous situations persist, it’s important to monitor emails and text messages for emergency alerts which will provide instructions and updates from the university. “Have the phone numbers of family members who are out of the area who you can communicate with to inform them of your location and safety,” said Morales. “For local emergency alerts, sign up for AlertOC.org by going to ReadyOC.com/text-alerts. Download the Titan HST app and log in using your Concordia Google email account as a means to report fire and other concerns to Campus Safety.”

Individuals within Concordia’s community have been directly impacted by the danger of the fires, and all are encouraged to support them through prayer for physical safety, emotional wellbeing and material support. “The fires have affected my family personally as my sister had to evacuate her home in Sierra Madre,” said Natalie Annunziato, senior and ASCUI president. “She was definitely one of the ‘lucky ones’ as her house was untouched, but had the fire spread two blocks south, she would have lost everything. I remember her calling me and telling me she could see the fire from her house, and she grabbed a few items, knocked on her neighbors doors to evacuate and left. If she did not see the fire, she would have been trapped and stuck in traffic after the evacuation mandates went out.” 

“The fires have affected my mental and physical health, as the anxiety got in the way of my work and my sleep,” said Annunziato. “I was afraid to wake up every morning as I worried the fires would spread more and more out of control. My heart goes out to anyone affected, especially those who have lost homes, pets or loved ones.”

Micah Rippon, Professor of Anthropology, shared concerns about the affected areas. Rippon faced potential evacuation from her home, and also worried about an elementary school located in Pacific Palisades that she worked closely with. “I would have my windows down when driving the area, looking at the nature and thinking about the history of the city. When I heard about the fire, the elementary school was the first place I thought about. The library where I used to study is now gone. I really feel like I am at the wind’s mercy and where the wind will direct the fires.”

“There have also been a lot of social implications with this,” said Rippon. “The LA Fire Department was heavily defunded prior to this. What’s also been huge is that fire affects everyone and insurance does not cover everyone. You are at the mercy of insurance companies and social institutions. I am hoping for change based on this.”

The Concordia Symphony Orchestra also suffered a heartbreaking loss when the Palisades Fire destroyed the shipment of musical scores that they had planned to perform in April. Dr. Jeff Held, Music Director of the Concordia Orchestras, explained how Concordia’s Music Department had rented out the classic score of Arnold Schoenberg’s orchestration of Bach's Prelude and Fugue in Eb "St. Anne" from Belmont Music Publishing, which was located in Pacific Palisades, close to UCLA, where Schoenberg was an esteemed professor of music after leaving Germany before WWII. The house contained numerous original manuscripts as well as the exclusive published catalogue played by orchestras in North America, and was tragically destroyed this past week during the spread of the fires. 

“What is lost are all of the scores and parts distributed in North America, but more importantly, a great deal of manuscripts that scholars have studied for years,” said Held. “Belmont Music Publishing has announced that they will regroup and start a digital contents library with the assistance of Schoenberg collections around the world. That will take a long time to set up, and I do hope that we can still access our music and perform this wonderful work, mostly because the music not only represents a historic 20th century composer's orchestration of Bach, but also because the music is based on a chorale that expresses the endurance of God.”

“It is always difficult to process major tragedies like this.  They can be so large that it is difficult to connect with them as reality, a connection that we do need and maybe is helped with stories like that of our music,” said Held. In the face of the fires, he shared an excerpt from the original chorale: “O God our help in ages past, our hope for years to come. / Our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home. / Before the hills in order stood or earth received its frame. / From everlasting you are God to endless years the same.”

 

 

Tags: community, Campus Safety, Orange County, Los Angeles

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About Madison Zuniga

Madison Zuniga serves as the 24-25 Editor-in-Chief for the Concordia Courier. Her work in journalism has served to focus her vision for her career goals in studio arts and creative writing, and she's grateful to serve her campus community through the news!

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