November 2, 2024
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department reported Wednesday that twelve people have been found dead after the recent blizzards in nearby mountains -- with some of the deceased trapped within their homes.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department reported Wednesday that twelve people have been found dead after the recent blizzards in nearby mountains — with some of the deceased trapped within their homes.

Running Springs snow (David McNew / Getty)

RUNNING SPRINGS, CA – MARCH 01: The open sign is still on at a business nevertheless shut down by the weather as residents throughout the San Bernardino Mountains remain trapped in their homes on March 1, 2023 in Running Springs, California. San Bernardino County has declared a state of emergency as communities remain buried after a series of blizzards shut down all roads into the mountains, leaving the area running low on gas, food and supplies. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Times reported:

[Spokesperson Mara] Rodriguez said at least two other people in San Bernardino’s mountain communities had been found dead through official welfare checks since Feb. 23, when the historic snowstorms started. One was found dead in Big Bear and the other in Valley of Enchantment, a neighborhood in Crestline.

The agency, however, has also responded to nine more deaths since the storms, Rodriguez said — a total of 12.

But many mountain residents who spoke to The Times, some of whom found neighbors or friends dead inside their homes, said they had no doubt the massive storms and treacherous aftermath — the blocked roads, the lack of heat, cellphone service and food — probably contributed, if not caused, the casualties.

Despite mildly warmer weather, residents of towns like Big Bear, Lake Arrowhead, and Crestline are still digging themselves out of the snow, and many are still struggling to obtain food, fuel, and medicine.

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) left the state during the crisis, traveling to Baja California after belatedly declaring a state of emergency for the blizzard. He continues to spend time on social media trolling conservative states.

Snow Big Bear (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty)

BIG BEAR LAKE, CA – MARCH 03: Big Bear Lake streets are still choked with snow following successive storms which blanketed San Bernardino Mountain communities on Friday, March 3, 2023 in Big Bear Lake, CA. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

He returned from abroad Sunday. On Wednesday, Newsom’s office said he tested positive for the coronavirus.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.