Preparing for wet weather helps protect our campus community, buildings, research and outdoor spaces. Facilities Management combines ongoing building maintenance, utility monitoring, backup power, tree care and stormwater improvements to prepare for storms and respond when problems occur.
What You Can Do
You know your work area best. Help your department prepare for storms by reporting concerns early, protecting vulnerable materials and reviewing plans for weather-related disruptions.
Prepare Your Building and Work Area
- Report known problems early. Let Facilities Management know about recurring leaks, slow drains, pooling water or entrances where rain has entered before.
- Protect vulnerable materials. Where practical and safe, move valuable supplies, records and equipment away from known leak areas. If you need plastic wrap to cover items, let the Customer Experience Center know. They will request that the roofer assigned to the job bring it to your location.
- Review your department’s response plan. Identify who will report problems and communicate with building occupants.
- Plan for essential equipment. Identify equipment critical to your department’s operations and plan for power interruptions. Work with your department’s safety coordinator and research teams to identify ways to protect sensitive equipment, temperature-sensitive materials and research.
- Keep emergency contacts current. Make sure departmental contacts and equipment alarm contact information are up to date.
For more detailed guidance on protecting research and equipment, see Safety Services’ power outage guidance and Research Continuity Programs and Resources
Responding to Power Outages
Although a sustained campuswide outage is unlikely, power interruptions can occur. Call 530-752-1655, including after hours, to report an outage—even if it affects only part of your building. Tell the Customer Experience Center about any immediate risks to research, animal care or safety.
Provide your location, the affected rooms or areas, when the problem began and a phone number where you can be reached. You can also call this number for available restoration updates.
- Do not reset building circuit breakers. A tripped breaker may indicate a problem that requires assessment by a Facilities Management electrician.
- Stay away from electrical hazards. Keep clear of downed wires and electrical equipment exposed to water. Do not enter standing water near electrical equipment.
- Follow your department’s equipment recovery plan. Some equipment may restart automatically, while other equipment will need to be checked or restarted when power returns.
Campus housing residents should use their community’s designated maintenance contact.
Report problems
For urgent facilities issues, call 530-752-1655. Call when flooding, leaks, power outages or storm damage threaten health and safety, research or instruction. For non-urgent concerns, submit a service request.
Provide the building name, room number or outdoor location; a description of the problem; and contact information for someone on site. Include photos when safe to take them.
Live in campus housing? Report maintenance and utility concerns through your residence hall or apartment community’s designated contact. Find your housing maintenance contact.
If there is immediate danger, call 911.
How Facilities Prepares
Our teams prepare for storms long before rain is in the forecast. Year-round maintenance helps reduce risks, while crews are ready to respond when problems arise.
Maintaining Reliable Utilities and Power
Storm preparedness builds on work our Utilities Operations teams do year-round: monitoring campus systems, performing preventive maintenance and maintaining infrastructure that supports teaching, research and daily campus life. These preparations help strengthen campus reliability and support a coordinated response when outages occur.
UC Davis operates its own electrical substation and distribution system, along with more than 130 emergency generator systems and devices. Backup generators and alternate power supplies, where available, help protect emergency systems and critical operations during disruptions. Facilities Management has personnel on site 24/7, with additional staff available to support outage response.
Backup power coverage varies by building and system. Learn more about campus power outages and response.
Repairing Roofs and Addressing Leaks
Facilities Management evaluates campus roofs and prioritizes repairs based on building condition, safety, research needs and impacts to instruction. Ongoing repairs and replacements help reduce water intrusion across our aging building portfolio. View roof repair information and project updates.
Not every ceiling leak starts at the roof. Water can enter through windows or other building components, or originate from plumbing and equipment. Crews investigate the source before determining the appropriate repair.
High winds, lightning and other unsafe conditions may delay roof access. Temporary measures may be needed to limit damage and protect equipment until crews can safely complete repairs. Report leaks promptly, even when weather conditions may affect the response.
Providing Flood Protection Where Needed
If you notice water entering a building, pooling near entrances or other flooding concerns, let Facilities Management know by contacting the Customer Experience Center at (530) 752-1655. Crews will assess the area and determine how best to help, including placing sandbags or water barriers where needed.
Caring for Campus Trees
Tree care is an ongoing part of campus preparedness. Our Urban Forest Management Team assesses tree health, maintains the campus tree database and uses that information to prioritize maintenance. Their work includes pruning, responding to storm damage and removing trees when needed to address safety concerns.
Heavy rain and strong winds can still bring down branches or trees, particularly when soils are saturated. Routine care helps manage these risks, but cannot eliminate them.
Report damaged trees, hanging branches or other tree concerns to Facilities Management. Keep your distance and leave assessment and cleanup to campus crews.
Keeping Stormwater Drains Clear
Our Grounds and Landscape Services teams regularly sweep campus streets and collect fallen leaves and debris to help keep storm drains clear. This ongoing work is especially important during fall leaf drop, when accumulating leaves can block drainage and cause water to pool.
You can help by reporting leaf buildup, blocked drains or unusual water accumulation to Facilities Management. Include the exact location and whether water is approaching a building entrance or affecting access.
Expanding Stormwater Capacity
The Arboretum Waterway is both a beloved campus landscape and the largest component of the campus stormwater management system. You can expect to see the water level in the Arboretum Waterway fluctuate before, during and after storms to accommodate the runoff from campus.
The Arboretum Waterway Flood Protection and Habitat Enhancement Project increased its stormwater capacity by 6 acre-feet. Improvements included reshaping the channel and replacing much of the concrete shoreline with earthen banks, alongside work to improve water circulation and restore wetland and streamside habitat. These investments help the Waterway accommodate more stormwater while supporting wildlife and improving the landscape.