Bella Hirtzel | Writer
December 12, 2024
Pepperdine University, nested between the hills of Malibu, California, is one of the most beautiful campuses in the nation. The campus is surrounded by breathtaking ocean views and designed with Mediterranean-inspired architecture. You can find terracotta rooftops, lush gardens, and palm trees that move with the ocean breeze.
Despite the University’s beauty, the hills of Socal are known to be prone to the harshest wildfires. A wildfire called the Franklin Fire broke out in Malibu this week. Forcing Malibu residents to evacuate as Santa Ana winds enlarged the flames.
As for the students attending Pepperdine, they were issued a shelter-in-place right around 1 a.m. These students were told to stay put, even though other residents around them were fleeing for their lives.
In the next couple of days, much of Malibu had already been evacuated, but the school kept everyone in the shelter-in-place.
Will Whidden, a student at Pepperdine University, said that he was “stuck in his dorm all night,” while some of his classmates were stuck in the “library or even the cafe.”
The order of shelter in place was finally lifted at 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Pepperdine’s shelter-in-place order has gained extreme criticism recently and in past affairs, as this policy was made in the 1990s.
Phil Phillips, the school executive vice president, reports “Protecting our students, providing for their safety is a moral obligation for us, so we take it really, really seriously.” Considering the school’s extreme safety measures, it is no surprise how seriously they are taking the Franklin Fire into account.
Pepperdine said in an X post (formerly known as Twitter) that “we do not evacuate the campus even when surrounding areas might – this shelter-in-place protocol is approved by LA County Fire and executed with their cooperation.” The school thinks this order that is set in place will guarantee the student’s safety, but with recent years of multiple deaths caused by wildfires, the university is set up for a lot of backlash once this whole ordeal is over.
Family and friends must feel worried sick not knowing when their loved one can get out and ensure their safety. Molly Whidden, sister of Pepperdine student Will Whidden, says that she has been “filled with anxiety and fear” while her brother is in the midst of wildfire precautions.
Luckily, no lives have been lost due to the wildfires which Pepperdine University. Just in time for the holidays, family and friends might be able to see their loved ones a bit early this year due to the fire’s extreme circumstances.
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