Snow causes major power outages in San Bernardino Mountains

(FOX 11) - "Well this is our neighbor's house, an oak tree fell on it," Forest Falls resident April Rock said as she and her husband shared photos of the damage done to their neighborhood after the latest snow storm.

"I think it's because the snow is so heavy that it causes the branches to fall," Rock said. "We've had a couple hit our roof and it scared me to death."

Those falling branches and trees also hit power lines causing major outages in the San Bernardino Forest area.

Southern California Edison said roughly 800 homes were still without power Friday night and that could last through the weekend.

A mobile command center is set up not far from the affected area, but the weather is making it hard for crews to get the job done.

"We are getting support by using the fire department and their snow cats," Travis Parks with Southern California Edison said. "We're also getting our own snow cats up here so we can get the crews to the poles that are down."

Most mountain residents said they're prepared to hunker down a few more days with backup generators to kick on some power.

"I went down the hill earlier today and got more gasoline for friend's generators," he said.

But maneuvering on the mountain is the hardest part. Cars are still buried in snow, roads are icy and drivers need snow chains.

Alex Hernandez said he's ready to move his family out for the night.

"We don't actually have a generator," Hernandez said. "We have our stovetop still working and we have our wood burning stove."

The power company stopped work Friday night because it was too dangerous to work in the current weather conditions.

Southern California Edison expects more power restoration on Saturday morning with some residents waiting until Monday at 3 p.m. before power is fully restored.

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