Heavy snowfall in Southern California has caused power outages and travel complications, leaving some residents stranded in their homes. Mountain communities in the region have received up to 10 feet of snow in the last week, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). This has resulted in an influx of calls for assistance, leaving rescue workers exhausted as they attempt to respond to the situation. San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus has stated that residents of Southern California mountain communities could be cut off for another week as heavy snow continues to block roads.
The state of California has been hit by a series of winter storms, which have brought much-needed precipitation to the region’s water supply. However, the heavy snowfall has resulted in widespread disruptions as residents contend with the extreme weather. On Friday, nearly 45,000 people in California were without power, primarily in mountain areas in the state’s Central, Sacramento, and High Sierra regions.
On Wednesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in 13 counties, including San Bernardino, calling up the National Guard to assist with emergency efforts. The National Weather Service bureau in San Diego has reported that the recent snowfall has exceeded records set in the 1970s when many parts of the state last saw snow. Comparing measurements from its MODIS polar satellite with historical data, the bureau tweeted that Big Bear City, northeast of San Bernardino, “received 82 inches [208 cm] of snow in seven days, exceeding the 58 inches back in 1979”.
San Bernardino County Fire Battalion Chief Mike McClintock has stated that they have cleared more than seven million cubic feet of snow across mountain communities, which is unprecedented. More than 300 firefighters are working around the clock with local and state agencies to clear snow. Emergency personnel are responding to medical calls, stranded vehicles, collapsed roofs, and fallen trees.
Residents of California’s mountain communities are struggling with disruptions to power and transportation due to extreme snowfall. Andrew Braggins, who lives in the Crestline area in the San Bernardino Mountains, told The Associated Press that he has friends just a few roads away who have been without power for days. “You can stock up for a storm. But this storm kind of kept coming,” he said.