Breanna Reeves and Aryana Noroozi |
As the COVID-19 State of Emergency came to an end this week, Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed another state of emergency in 13 counties on Thursday as a result of the winter storm.
The declaration seeks to support disaster response and relief in counties hardest hit by the weather, especially San Bernardino County, that is working to provide mutual aid to residents trapped by the snow. The county is receiving support on the ground from the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and California Highway Patrol as personnel work to coordinate how to plow roads for safe exits.
San Bernardino County held a joint response press conference March 1st alongside county partners to give updates on the progress of plowing the roads, getting supplies to residents in need and how to seek support using the call and resource centers set up by the county officials.
Board of Supervisors Chair Dawn Rowe said that it is the county’s number one priority to get to residents who are stranded due to the snow and cannot leave their homes. She explained that plowing has been occurring around the clock and will continue for the next week.
Rowe oversees the Third District which includes the impacted mountain communities of Lake Arrowhead and Crestline as well as Yucca Valley. She was joined by county partners including the sheriffs of San Bernardino County, Big Bear and Twin Peaks, as well as Caltrans personnel and the county fire chief.
“We know that roofs are starting to collapse. We have elevated this situation into a unified command with all of our emergency cooperators and every available resource that we have at the county [and] at the state, that they can provide, will be thrown at this incident to provide a level of safety for our residents,” Rowe said during the press conference.
“We hear you. We know you are concerned and we know that this is changing with the additional snow that fell last night.”
State of Emergency
San Bernardino County declared a local emergency on Feb. 27 after residents of mountain communities were trapped at home or at vacation homes as a result of the snow. More snow is expected to fall over the next several days. The county is seeking state and federal support to clear snow from the mountain highways and neighborhoods.
“We have conducted approximately 17 search and rescue operations,” said San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Shannon D. Dicus. Operations took place across Big Bear, Twin Peaks, Victor Valley, Yucaipa and other high desert communities.
For the first time in the history of the office, the National Weather Service (NWS) San Diego, which serves the counties of San Diego, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside, issued a blizzard warning during the weekend of Feb. 25, from 4 a.m. Friday to 4 p.m. Saturday.
“Travel will be VERY DIFFICULT TO IMPOSSIBLE due to the extremely heavy snow and extremely high winds expected,” the NWS tweeted.
According to NWS San Diego, the Inland Empire near Fontana, Rialto and Devore picked up more snow during the recent winter storm than New York City and Philadelphia have received this season.
The NWS noted a list of the top 10 snowfalls beginning on Feb. 23, with Mountain High Ski Resort receiving the largest snowfall at 93 inches, the end of Mount Baldy Road getting 77 inches of snow, 68 inches in Lake Arrowhead and 50 to 55 inches in Wrightwood.
More surprisingly was the one inch of snow that covered the cities of Rialto, Fontana and Victorville. Residents expressed their shock and awe at the snow in Facebook community groups and Twitter, sharing images and videos of their front yards and neighborhoods.
Special weather statements were also issued for the cities of Riverside, Fontana and Corona on Feb. 23, due to threats of winds at 40 miles per hour and possible penny-size hail.
The NWS stated that the winter storm is the strongest they’ve seen in several years.
As more rain and snow are expected across the San Bernardino Mountains, the County and the American Red Cross have established an emergency shelter and resource center for mountain residents who are unable to get home at Redlands East Valley High School, located at 31000 E. Colton Ave. in Redlands. Resources will be available daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Residents can also contact the call center at 909-387-3911 to receive information.