Dear LBNL Colleagues, Two Lab sites, the main hill site in Berkeley and the Joint Genome Institute in Walnut Creek, have been notified that they are in geographic zones with a high likelihood of being affected by a PG&E public safety power shutdown (PSPS) this weekend. This expectation is based on weather forecasts of extremely high winds and dry conditions. A power shutoff is expected as … [Read more...]

Dear Colleagues, The weather forecast this weekend calls for strong offshore winds Saturday night through Monday morning, which means the danger for wildfires remains high through the weekend. As of Thursday afternoon at 5 p.m., we have NOT received notification from PG&E that the Lab will lose power, but due to these weather conditions, we must prepare for another public safety power shutoff … [Read more...]

Dear Colleagues, I’m very pleased to announce the Lab’s main hill site will reopen tomorrow, Monday, Oct. 14, at 6 a.m. When the site reopens, we expect all buildings will be ready for occupancy except building 70A. Lab staff who are assigned to work in 70A should consult with their supervisor and plan to work in alternative locations tomorrow. We will keep you updated. If we need to change the … [Read more...]

Colleagues, Our operations teams continue to make significant progress in safely re-energizing buildings and restarting systems on the Lab’s main hill site. I am grateful for the efforts of the more than 300 people who have worked since Tuesday afternoon to take the Lab’s systems and scientific equipment down safely and then begin to restore them in a safe and orderly manner. We remain hopeful … [Read more...]