Residents, vacationers stranded in San Bernardino Mountains after weekend snowstorm
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, Calif. - After a powerful storm system dropped several feet of snow on the San Bernardino Mountains over the weekend, several residents were stranded as roadways in and out of the area are closed due to icy and snowed-in roads.
Some — including both those who went up to the mountains for a weekend retreat, and those who need to get down to the flatlands for work — are stuck.
"Our streets have not been cleared since Wednesday. We cannot go anywhere," said Lake Arrowhead resident Susan Harrison.
Robin Harrison and Susan Harrison said they kept their pantry and refrigerator stocked to weather the storm and relied on neighbors to allow them access to the outdoors.
"The roads are really bad," Susan Harrison said. "They're not cleared. It is not safe to travel. I mean people with four-wheel drive and chains are stuck."
Three families from Santa Clarita expected a snowy weekend retreat in an Airbnb. Jessica Kanes said while the six kids most definitely had fun, the parents have started to worry about how and when they'll get home.
"Last night is really when it sunk in that there's a possibility that we're not going home tomorrow or today.
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Kanes said the families brought enough food for the trip, but not enough for their trip to last past Sunday.
"Our husbands were gone for five hours, hiking in the snow to the store to feed our families," Kanes said. "With the help of the residents here, they got a couple rides, like a mile here and there, and were able to make it to the store, but it took them five hours to make it there and back." They brought back whatever they could carry, but Kanes said they may have to make another trip.
When asked when they might be cleared out, Paola Fowler said, "I spoke to a person at the fire department that we called today, and he says about Thursday or Friday for sure."
The families host of the Airbnb where they were staying insisted on them leaving the home on Sunday. After a lot of back and forth, the owner relented, realizing that the snow wouldn't be cleared, and no new guests would be able to get up to the mountain for a few days.
Some from the Lake Arrowhead community shared photos of the snowstorm:
On top of families being stranded, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department warned the road closures have led to gas stations and grocery stores having "critically low levels" of remaining supply and will likely not be able to serve their customers with the limited clearances of roads up in the region's mountain communities.