Updated Jan. 22 at 6:41 p.m.
A major wind storm knocked out power to the 5Cs Friday night, toppling trees and causing significant damage across the campuses.
At Pomona College, gusts caused a new outdoor dining tent at Bixby Plaza outside Frary Dining Hall to collapse, scattering tables and chairs around the pavement. Nearby, a tree fell on top of Clark I residence hall, causing minor damage to the building, according to an email from Pomona COO Rob Goldberg and Assistant Vice President for Facilities Bob Robinson. Hahn Hall was also damaged, they said.
Several trees were uprooted on Pomona’s Marston Quad, including one that tore up the sidewalk and lay strewn across the intersection of Fourth Street and College Avenue across from the President’s House.
“Sadly, we did lose some of our beloved trees on Marston Quad and elsewhere,” Goldberg and Robinson said. “We will look for fitting ways for our community to repurpose the downed trees.”
Heavy damage across @pomonacollege @TSLnews pic.twitter.com/fMWtyTO61I
— Char Miller (@charmillerfour) January 22, 2022
Scripps College saw downed trees tear up outdoor classrooms across the grounds, including on the Tiernan Field.
Pitzer College, which saw a tree on its Mounds central quad downed just months ago, also saw yet another one uprooted.
Power has since been restored to the campuses, but more than 2,100 customers in Claremont were still affected by grid outages as of Saturday evening, according to Southern California Edison.
The National Weather Service extended a high wind warning for the San Gabriel Valley until 3 p.m. Saturday, warning of damaging gusts up to 65 miles per hour along the foothills.
As the morning unfolded, crews began to tackle the storm’s remnants. On Saturday evening, Campus Safety asked community members to stay inside after dark.
“Given the potential presence of down wires, holes from uprooted trees and damaged sidewalks, everyone needs to exercise extreme caution,” the community alert said.
This is a developing story and will be updated with more information.