Berkeley

Berkeley Fire Department Hosts Wildfire Evacuation Preparedness Workshop

Published

6 years ago

September 16, 2020

The Berkeley Fire Department hosted a wildfire evacuation preparedness workshop on Sept. 10. About 340 residents attended the meeting, which was hosted on Zoom.

“As the last few weeks have made profoundly clear, we’re all affected by wildfire regardless of whether we live within the city limits or not,“ said Khin Chin, a Berkeley resident who has worked for the city Fire Department’s Office of Emergency Services for 12 years. “It’s really amazing what a month of smoke, red skies and statewide fires can do to help advertise a workshop like this.”

Chin facilitated the meeting with Katie Hawn, an Emergency Services coordinator for Berkeley who has recently focused largely on COVID-19 response.

Chin and Hawn started the workshop by emphasizing that wildfires are a real danger in Berkeley. In 1923, a wildfire spread from the Berkeley hills and destroyed about 600 homes. Climate catastrophe has increased the risk of it happening again.

“It can happen in Berkeley. It has happened in Berkeley,” said Chin.

If a wildfire strikes in Berkeley, the city likely will not have the capacity to evacuate people, so, according to Chin, “self-evacuation makes up the majority of the community response.”

Chin and Hawn encouraged people to pay attention to the National Weather Service for Red Flag warnings, which are most likely to occur in dry, low humidity, high wind conditions.

“Anytime you hear the Red Flag warnings you should begin your preparations to be ready to evacuate,” said Chin.

To prepare for evacuation, the workshop stressed that it’s important to have a list of supplies and important things you would like to have and save and to be aware of where they are. The list could include medications, supplies for pets, important documents, medical supplies, water, and important irreplaceable items. Hawn suggested bringing games, like cards, to prepare for lots of downtimes while evacuated.

Besides the go-bag of important supplies, make sure to have charging devices for your phones, computers, etc. Spreading the word is also helpful for others.

If you have the ability to evacuate by vehicle, make sure that the vehicle has a full tank of gas. The organizers also stressed finding more than one route to major roads in case certain roads become impassible and, if possible, making arrangements with friends or family who you could stay with the outside of the area ahead of time. If you are forced to evacuate and have no friends or family to stay with, they suggest finding a parking lot that is outside of the evacuated area.

For those who will have difficulties evacuating, which will mean taking more time, Chin and Hawn suggest pre-evacuating on Red Flag warning days if possible.

One Berkeley resident named Phyllis who’s 86 and lives in the Berkeley Hills, said she pre-evacuated to stay with her grandson in El Cerrito twice recently when Red Flag warnings were issued for the Berkeley Hills. There was no wildfire but she was still glad she pre-evacuated as it made her feel safer and less stressed.

“I would have been scared to be by myself and I wouldn’t have slept those nights probably,” she said.

During an evacuation, Chin and Hawn suggest paying attention to the 1610 AM, an emergency advisory radio station. They suggest programming it into your radio ahead of time. Residents should also sign up for an emergency alert notification system suggesting www.acalert.org.

The workshop stressed the importance of preparing ahead of time so you can have some control over your evacuation if it is necessary.

“When you feel really out of control,” said Chin, “that’s when things are the scariest.”

Michelle Snider

Associate Editor for The Post News Group. Writer, Photographer, Videographer, Copy Editor, and website editor documenting local events in the Oakland-Bay Area California area.

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Michelle Snider

Associate Editor for The Post News Group. Writer, Photographer, Videographer, Copy Editor, and website editor documenting local events in the Oakland-Bay Area California area.

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Activism

Black Repertory Group Needs Volunteers to Help Shape the Next Generation of Artists and Leaders

Legendary performers such as Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover worked with and were inspired by BRG’s founders. More recently, Grammy award-winning artist Kehlani attended the Black Repertory Group Summer Day Camp for several years.

Published

2 months ago

June 26, 2026

Oakland Post

Courtesy image.

By Sean Vaughn Scott, Special to The Post

For more than 60 years, the Black Repertory Group (BRG) has changed lives through the arts.

Founded in 1964 by educators and visionaries Birel L. Vaughn and Nora Vaughn, BRG has become one of America’s oldest continuously operating Black theater institutions. For generations, it has preserved culture, developed talent, and provided opportunities for young people to discover their voices and their potential.

The results speak for themselves.

Long before international recognition, Kehlani performed on the BRG stage. During a summer day camp production of “Princess and da Frog,” she portrayed Ray, the lovable firefly whose light guided others through the darkness. Her journey is proof that today’s camper may become tomorrow’s artist, entrepreneur, educator, or leader.

Located at 3201 Adeline St. in Berkeley, BRG continues that mission through its Youth Summer Day Camp of the Arts.

BRG is currently accepting applications and maintains an open enrollment program. Students may enroll throughout the summer as space permits and immediately become part of the BRG family.

We are also proud to be a multicultural opportunity program, welcoming children and families from all backgrounds, cultures, and communities. Through theater, music, dance, public speaking, visual arts, technical theater, and leadership development, students gain confidence, discipline, creativity, and lifelong skills.

As our programs grow, so does our need for volunteers.

We are seeking community members to assist with youth mentoring, registration, costumes, set construction, painting, props, ushering, photography, social media, marketing, technical theater, and fundraising activities. Whether you volunteer for a few hours or throughout the season, your support directly impacts the lives of young people.

BRG also partners with churches, civic organizations, alumni associations, fraternities, sororities, and community groups through theater party fundraisers, group sales, and buy-out performances. These partnerships have helped organizations raise funds while supporting arts and cultural programming.

The theater also serves as the home of the Berkeley NAACP Chapter, which meets every second Saturday of the month from 1 to 3 p.m.

For more than six decades, the Black Repertory Group has remained committed to one belief: every child deserves an opportunity to shine.

The next great artist may already be among us.

The next Kehlani may already be walking through our doors.

We invite you to volunteer, enroll, participate, and become part of the legacy.

For more information please go to www.blackrepertorygroup.com, call (510) 652-2120, or email info@blackrepertorygroup.com

Sean Vaughn Scott is the director of the Black Repertory Group.

Oakland Post

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Bay Area

UC Berkeley Named Top Public University in the U.S. and No. 7 in the World by ‘U.S. News’

Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014. “A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.

Published

2 months ago

June 24, 2026

Oakland Post

Photo by Keegan Houser/UC Berkeley.

The 2026 Best Global Universities rankings evaluated 2,250 research institutions from more than 100 countries

By Lila Thulin

U.S. News & World Report has ranked UC Berkeley No. 7 in its 2026 list of the best global universities, which assesses more than 2,250 research institutions worldwide.

Berkeley also claimed the honor of top public university in the U.S.

Released on Monday, the list evaluates universities from more than 100 countries on 13 metrics such as global and research reputation (as reported by academics and peers) and number of highly cited scholarly papers.

Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014.

“A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.

The rankings also assess a university’s strength in various subject areas; these assessments are separate from U.S. News’ 2026 Best Graduate Programs rankings released in April.

This year, Berkeley was named in the top three nationally in seven subject areas – environment/ecology, ecology, water resources, physics, computer science, chemistry, and engineering – and in the top five for a total of 17 subjects. Subject rankings are based heavily on scholarly publications and citations as well as reputation.

In September, U.S. News also released its 2026 Best Colleges list, in which Berkeley was also named the No. 1 public institution among American universities.

That honor joins other accolades judging campus to be the best public university in the country, such as those from Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education.

Oakland Post

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Arts and Culture

Farwest Region Deltas Celebrate Centennial With “September Breakfast” Honoring Vivian Osborne Marsh

The region was established in 1925 under the leadership of Vivian Osborne Marsh, who became its first Regional Director. Marsh was a pioneering scholar and civic leader, earning recognition as the first Black woman to receive both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in anthropology from UC Berkeley.

Published

11 months ago

September 14, 2025

Oakland Post

Farwest Regional Director, Kimberly Usher, Mayor Barbara Lee, US Representative Lateefah Simon, and Farwest Regional Representative, Radiya Ajibade. Photo courtesy of Farwest Regional Photographer Vicki P. Love.

By Antoinette Porter

Hundreds of members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and their guests gathered at the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union at the University of California, Berkeley, to mark the 100th anniversary of the sorority’s Farwest Region.

Marsh went on to serve as Delta Sigma Theta’s 7th National President, where she launched the sorority’s National Library Project to expand access to books in underserved Black communities in the South. During her presidency, the organization also became a prominent voice in the civil rights movement, lobbying Congress to pass anti-lynching legislation.

Bak in the Bay Area, Marsh devoted her career to advancing educational opportunities, mentoring young people, and strengthening community life. That commitment continues to shape the region, which supports initiatives in education, social justice, and economic development. Current projects include raising scholarship funds for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, voter education campaigns, and health and wellness programs.

A century after its founding, the Farwest Region of Delta Sigma Theta remains active across California and other western states, carrying forward Marsh’s vision of service and advocacy.