San Bernardino County officials vow to rescue everyone trapped by blizzard
Blizzard conditions and dangerous situations prompted county officials to jump into action Wednesday.
San Bernardino County officials held a Storm Response Press Conference to update the mountain communities on public safety activities since blizzard conditions arrived last week and lasted through Wednesday.
Board of Supervisors Chair Dawn Rowe, whose third district oversees the mountain communities, said the county knows there are stranded residents, and it is a “No. 1 priority.”
She said plowing the roads continues around the clock, and the county has requested additional assets from state partners and other outside sources so residents can get food, medicine, and needed access.
“We need our residents to help take care of each other, to call our hotline (909-387-3911) that we have established that will now be 24/7, seven days a week,” Rowe said.
Rowe emphasized that county fire, sheriff’s, and public work departments can deliver food and medicine to home-bound people.
Collapsed roofs caused by snow trap people
“We know that roofs started to collapse,” Rowe said. “We’ve elevated this situation into a united command.”
Rowe said emergency crews and every available resource that the county and the state can provide “will be thrown at this incident to provide a level of safety to our residents.”
Sheriff Shannon Discus said deputies had conducted 17 search and rescue operations, including Big Bear, Twin Peaks, Lytle Creek, and the Victor Valley.
Some rescues were off-roaders struck on back forestry roads and four skiers in a prohibited area.
Big Bear and Twin Peaks are particular areas of concern, with sheriff’s deputies and California Highway Patrol officials closing roads, helping residents get back to their homes, and supplying vendors of local stores and gas stations.
Dicus also mentioned that the roof of Goodwin’s & Son's Market in Crestline collapsed.
The owner of Goodwin’s on Wednesday said despite their best efforts to remove snow from the roof during the “historic storm,” the additional 2 inches of snow from last night was too much for it to handle.
Dicus said sheriff’s officials helped evacuate mountain camps over the weekend and assisted Caltrans and the CHP with snow plowing.
The roof collapsed before 4 a.m. on Wednesday when three employees were inside. The trio evacuated and immediately called the fire department and building inspector.
By late morning, when the building inspector was outside. the remainder of the roof came down.
Owner David Goodwin said they are working tirelessly to get the store open again.
Discus said sheriff’s and county fire personnel are partnering to check on residents and damaged property in mountain communities.
Multiple rescues conducted in San Bernardino County mountain communities
The county's fire Chief Dan Munsey told the audience that mountain roads are heavily impacted, and many residents have called for help.
Munsey said first responder assistance must be prioritized due to the finite resources. He added that most people with food, shelter, water, and heat would weather the storm.
SBC Fire has responded to over 96 different rescues using its fleet of snowcats, including one sheriff’s deputy whose vehicle was stuck, he said.
He added that they assist evacuees to shelters and help others to local warming shelters.
Munsey said that on Wednesday, no storm-related injuries or deaths were reported.
Caltrans crews work around the clock to clear San Bernardino mountain roadways after snow storm
Brendon Biggs, San Bernardino County public works director, said as part of a multi-agency team, the group coordinates annually to develop a plan for the winter and monitors each storm as it approaches.
Knowing that the incoming storm would be impactful, the team contacted other agencies and pre-staged road equipment and vehicles to hit the storm as soon as it arrived.
Biggs said the historic storm covered the entire mountain range, from Forest Falls east to Wrightwood.
Of the nearly 500 miles of mountain roads under county control and 173 miles under Caltrans, there were times when snow plows gave way to snow removal vehicles.
Snow removal in the mountains is time-consuming because of the tight, winding roads and obstructions near roadways, Biggs said.
Public works have used resources to clear helicopter pads at Lake Arrowhead Airport, Red Cross warming shelter sites, and roadways to help evacuate campers.
Jim Rogers, Caltrans District 8 deputy director of maintenance, said crews placed de-icing agents on state highways last week, cleared storm drains, and inspected snow vehicles.
Additional Caltrans crews were brought up to the mountain to assist with operations. As the storm intensified, other resources were provided via a contractor, Rogers said.
Crews have worked around the clock, with staff rotating between 12, 14, and 16-hour shifts, he said.
Caltrans and the CHP have safely escorted many students in school buses back to their homes.
Escorts were also established for residents on State Route 18 from Lucerne Valley, SR-330, and SR. 18 on the mountain's south side to deliver essential goods.
On Wednesday morning, the City of Big Bear Lake announced that all mountain highways (State Routes 38, 330, and 18) to and from Big Bear were closed.
Caltrans is maintaining SR-18 via Lucerne to provide escorts with essential supplies.
Rowe thanked the animal care specials at the Devore Animal Shelter, who are caring for 114 dogs in heated kennels at 70 degrees.
Avalanche danger in Angeles National Forest
Angeles National Forest officials on Wednesday warned of avalanche danger.
The warning comes after Mt. Baldy Resort took to Twitter on Wednesday to post, “EXTREME AVALANCHE DANGER - Multiple life-threatening avalanches reported in the Movie Slope area below the ski area parking lot.”
The Movie Slope ski run is near Snow Crest Resort at Camp Baldy on the southwest side of the resort.
The resort also said they were closed “to give the Greatest Crew Any Mountain Ever Had a break. It’s been snowing all night and is forecast to keep it up today. Tomorrow is going to be mental if everything works out.”
Forest officials said major snowfall near steep mountainsides caused dangerous avalanche areas, which could last over the next two days.
The snowstorm began Tuesday and dropped heavy snowfall in the local mountains and rain and light snow in the High Desert.
Videos posted with people begging to 'send help'
In a video shared by photographer @FirePhotoGirl on Twitter, Lake Arrowhead resident Michelle Calkins said people in her community and Running Springs and Crestline “are screaming and begging for help” from state officials.
She also claimed that the State of Emergency, declared by SBC officials on Monday, isn’t being taken seriously.
SBC officials on Monday declared a local emergency after mountain residents found themselves trapped at home or unable to reach home due to several feet of snow that fell over the weekend. The declaration seeks state and federal assistance to clear snow from mountain highways and neighborhood streets and to support other necessary work and services in mountain areas.
Calkins claims that her area has 9 feet of accumulated snow, and residents have been “trapped in their homes” for more than five days because” the streets are not plowed.”
She said residents cannot get medicine, and mothers, who are low on baby formula, have called the emergency hotline, but “no one is taking us serious.”
Calkins said her area is unincorporated, unlike big cities like Mammoth, Tahoe, and Big Bear.
“Please, we are begging you, send help,” said a teary-eyed Calkins. “We need help. This is not a joke.”
Just before 2 p.m. on Wednesday, San Bernardino County Fire personnel responded to a fully involved structure fire in the 900 block of Crest Fern Drive in Blue Jay, just north of State Route 18.
Units on scene began a defensive attack, with personnel digging through feet of snow to access a hydrant. Two injured civilians at the scene were being treated by fire medics, who could only reach the incident site by snowcat.
On Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Jay Obernolte, who represents much of SBC, including the communities in the Big Bear Lake area, called on Gov. Gavin Newsom to issue a state disaster declaration in response to historic winter storms.
The official request for the governor to declare a State of Emergency for the mountain areas was signed by several, including Reps. Ken Calvert represents the Coachella Valley and other parts of Riverside County.
"Over the past few days, the state has experienced an unprecedented surge of winter storms that have engulfed Southern California, spanning the San Bernardino, Sierra Nevada, and San Gabriel Mountains.
The magnitude of these weather systems has severely strained local government’s ability to swiftly respond and protect public health and safety," the members wrote to Newsom.
The members of Congress noted that the storms had "blocked roads, stranded or trapped residents and visitors, collapsed buildings, and left thousands of homes and businesses without electricity or access to critical lifesaving resources including fuel, medications, doctors, and even basic resources such as groceries."
The unincorporated town of Crestline was singled out, with representatives saying employees were struggling to reach the wastewater treatment facility.
Spring thaw expected through the weekend
Chief Meteorologist Ben Brissey at Bensweather reported that the latest storm overnight dropped another 2 feet of snow in the San Bernardino Mountains.
Snow showers tapered off Wednesday afternoon, with a decent spring thaw expected through the weekend. More unsettled weather is possible next week, Brissey said.
Desert Sun Executive Editor Julie Makinen contributed to this story.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: San Bernardino County vow to rescue everyone trapped by blizzard
