With people in an around San Bernadino still trapped in their homes and on their streets by deep snow which dropped during the recent winter storm, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency across the county.
“Residents in Crestline, Lake Arrowhead, Wrightwood, Running Springs, and other communities in areas of San Bernardino County have been snowed in for several days, with many having lost power and running low on essential supplies, like food and medicine,” according to KTLA.
Highway 18 has been closed due to the heavy snow and the only way to get into these communities is with a official escorts from the state highway patrol or California Department of Transportation personnel assigned to escort duty.
As part of Newsom’s state of emergency declaration, the State Operations Center is coordinating the delivery of aid, support personnel, and equipment from neighboring cities and counties. In addition, KTLA reports, “road crews, and … ‘personnel from CAL FIRE and the California National Guard are readied to support operations,’ [and] the state has contracted with private companies to speed up snow removal and clear roadways, as well as coordinate with ‘investor-owned utilities to rapidly restore power.’”