Campus Alert Archive
SRJC

When the Russian River Rises, Shone Farm Closes

CAfloodingadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

An atmospheric river storm in early February 2025 pushed the Russian River toward flood stage in Sonoma County, prompting Santa Rosa Junior College to close its Shone Farm campus near Forestville through February 6. The closure came as the Sonoma County Sheriff issued evacuation orders for low-lying areas along the river from Healdsburg to Jenner, with the river forecast to exceed its 32-foot minor flood stage. No injuries were reported.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Santa Rosa Junior College
Community College · CA
~20,000 studentsSRJC Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstruction245 chars
SRJC Weather Advisory: Due to forecasted heavy rain and possible Russian River flooding, the Shone Farm campus near Forestville is closed and evacuated through Thursday, Feb. 6. All other SRJC locations remain open. Monitor srjc.edu for updates.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The Oak Leaf reported SRJC closed Shone Farm and ordered evacuations through Feb. 6 due to forecasted heavy rains that could swell the Russian River beyond flood levels; the exact advisory wording was not published, so this is a reconstruction.
This is classified as an advisory rather than an emergency notification because it was a precautionary, forecast-driven closure of a single agricultural campus, not a response to an immediate on-campus threat.
ALL CLEAREmail+2d
Approximate reconstruction187 chars
SRJC Weather Advisory Update: Russian River levels have receded and the Shone Farm campus near Forestville will reopen for normal operations. Thank you for your patience during the storm.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The Oak Leaf reported the closure ran through Feb. 6; the reopening notice text was not published, so this is a reconstruction marking the end of the advisory.
This message lifts the closure, functioning as the all-clear for the precautionary advisory.
Context

Background

Santa Rosa Junior College is a community college in Sonoma County whose Shone Farm is a 365-acre agricultural and viticulture teaching site near Forestville, close to the flood-prone Russian River. In early February 2025, an atmospheric river storm threatened the region; The Oak Leaf student newspaper reported that SRJC closed Shone Farm and ordered evacuations through Feb. 6 because forecasted heavy rains could swell the river beyond flood levels. The same storm prompted the Sonoma County Sheriff to issue evacuation orders for low-lying areas along the Russian River from unincorporated Healdsburg to Jenner, with the river forecast by the National Weather Service to reach roughly 35 feet, well above its 32-foot minor flood stage, per NBC Bay Area. The case illustrates a weather advisory that closes only the most exposed campus location ahead of a forecast hazard, a distinct Clery communication pattern from immediate-threat emergency notifications.
Analysis

Key Findings

SRJC closed and evacuated only its flood-exposed Shone Farm campus near Forestville while keeping other locations open, a targeted precautionary advisory
The closure aligned with a Sonoma County Sheriff evacuation order for low-lying Russian River areas during the February 2025 atmospheric river
The river was forecast to exceed its 32-foot minor flood stage, prompting the preemptive closure through February 6
No verbatim SRJC advisory text was published, so both alert texts are honest reconstructions based on student-newspaper and local-media reporting
Outcome
Shone Farm operations were suspended through February 6, 2025, as a precaution against Russian River flooding. The closure was a weather advisory rather than a response to an active on-campus hazard; no injuries were reported.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Shone Farm closed, evacuations ordered through Feb. 6 - The Oak Leaf
    theoakleafnews.com
  2. News
    Sonoma sheriff issues evacuation order along Russian River; schools close due to flooding - Local News Matters
    localnewsmatters.org
  3. News
    Evacuation order issued along Russian River in Sonoma County - NBC Bay Area
    nbcbayarea.com
Tags
floodingatmospheric-riverevacuationcommunity-collegecaliforniaadvisoryrussian-river
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion