Mid-January Storm
Facilities crews go the extra mile after severe weather hits all three campuses
Major effects of severe weather, including a major storm on Jan. 9 and 10, had SBCC’s Business Services and Facilities teams going the extra mile to clear the campus and make it safe for staff and students.
Several classrooms were flooded due to the ground elevations aligned with rain water runoff. As much as four (4) inches of rain in one day flooded numerous classrooms, specifically Occupational Education (OE) 12-16 and some wall damage to Drama Music (DM) 126. These classrooms are now up and running thanks to the Facilities Department’s hard work and extra hours (several staff members stayed overnight on campus). The large pumps that were used could barely keep up with the fast rainfall, however, several staff members who were stuck in Santa Barbara due to the freeway closures, stayed overnight to secure the safety of the campus, and saved the second floor of the OE building from flooding. SBCC staff responded timely and effectively with equipment and called in for assistance to help save the OE building from further damage.
The lower parking lots fared better than expected, where the draining in Lot 2c and the field that are lower have drains that performed well. Electricity on campus is in the ground and can be an issue after prolonged water exposure. Lights were returned to services, small slides near campus Loma and Shoreline handled by the City.
The Interim VP of Business Services Brian Fahnestock was also seen in rainboots with the crew working on campus and assessing the impacts of the rain. Several Fiscal Services employees and a few administrative support staff worked to support employees on campus during closure. Catering also came in to prepare hot meals for the cold Facilities, Custodial and Grounds crews working up to 12-hour shifts.
No large trees were lost on the main Campus; one was lost at Pershing and near the pathway and one smaller oak on West campus was lost.
Director of Campus Safety Erik Fricke said things could have been worse. Most officers were kept from coming to campus due to road closures into Santa Barbara, but there were as many as 40-50 employees working hard during the day-and-a-half campus closure to make sure classes could come back with little to no disturbance. A HUGE thank-you to these employees performing these crucial emergency duties.
As for the Schott or Wake campuses, minor leaks were reported at both, thanks to previous work the city and county had performed to reduce flooding in these areas. Although Wake campus is a certified floodplain in the back parking lot area, no damage occurred. Thanks to the city and county of Santa Barbara for their efforts.
