Dear colleagues,
Due to the high fire danger and the probability of lightning strikes in the East Bay hills overnight, all Lab sites will be closed to almost all personnel beginning at midnight tonight and will remain in a curtailed operational state through Monday, August 24. Only fire, emergency services, life safety, and designated Operations personnel will be permitted on site. If you are required to be on site, your supervisor will contact you. Anyone else with an emergency need to access a Lab site must receive permission from their ALD or area deputy. We have reached this decision because we are giving the highest priority to the health and safety of our people.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts dry lightning over the East Bay Hills during the night and into Monday morning in addition to a Red Flag warning issued by the National Weather Service. Local fire officials have recommended that those in the Berkeley Hills be prepared to evacuate on short or no notice.
Employees who were scheduled to work at any Lab site on Monday should telework from another location, if possible, for their safety and to minimize the number of people on site in case of an evacuation. If you are unable to telework due to the nature of your job, you may qualify for Administrative Leave. Contact your supervisor or HR Division Partner for information.
If you have not already signed up for LabAlert on your Lab and personal devices, please do so immediately. This will be the main channel of communication in the event of any emergency or evacuation at the Lab.
We will continue to monitor the situation and update as conditions warrant. Visit status.lbl.gov, call 1-800-445-5830, or follow Twitter @LBNLstatus.