Some California mountain dwellers could be covered in snow for a week
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Some residents stranded in the mountains of Southern California due to heavy snow could remain stranded for another week, officials said Friday.
Arctic gusts in late February caused a rare blizzard in the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles. In the San Bernardino Mountains, thousands of people live in the high elevations of forest communities or visit them for year-round recreation.
Abnormal snowfall obscured homes and businesses, overwhelming the ability of snow blowers to respond to normal storms.
By the end of last week, all highways leading to the mountains were closed, and since then they have been opened intermittently for convoys of trucks laden with food and other supplies and residents.
A forecast by San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus improved the outlook, which previously ranged up to two weeks.
“We’ve been saying we can extend it up to two weeks, but due to the state’s efforts and the facilities behind us, we’d like to shorten that to one week.
Sheriffs and other officials said progress had been made, but described the grim circumstances that forced firefighters to reach emergency sites, such as the Snowcat fire, for example.
“The enormity of this event is difficult to comprehend,” said state legislator Tom Lackey. It has caused real, real anxiety, frustration, and hardships to people who are actually confined to their own homes.
https://www.ksby.com/news/california-news/some-california-mountain-residents-could-be-snowed-in-for-a-week Some California mountain dwellers could be covered in snow for a week