Residents of many California communities continue to face dangerous conditions due to the historic amount of snow dropped down on the Golden State.
With roads and stores closed and appliances less than secure, people, especially in rural communities, are forced to plead with rescue workers to give them a lifeline to outlast the storms. And while the snow may have stopped for now, more storms are expected this weekend.
NEWSOM DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY IN 13 CALIFORNIA COUNTIES DUE TO WINTER STORMS
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) declared a state of emergency on Wednesday for 13 counties, including Los Angeles and San Bernardino. Residents in the San Bernardino mountains, in particular, have been struggling with access to vital resources, and falling trees have only made circumstances more dangerous.
One community had to deal with the destruction of its only grocery store, fortunately without any injuries. “Nobody got hurt. We did have one staff member in the back room when the initial collapse happened, but he heard the noises, the creaking of the beams…he was able to get out right before the thing crashed,” the market’s general manager told KTLA.
Other businesses and homes have dealt with similar problems with infrastructure, as well as power outages and being trapped inside homes due to feet of snow outside.
San Bernardino County Fire official Mike McClintock said structure fires have been a big problem in the mountain communities, which is surprising and unusual, per the local news outlet. One couple’s home exploded due to a gas leak.
Further north, communities brace for more storms this weekend as several feet of snow have already landed. The National Weather Service expects between 1 to 5 feet of snow falling in the Sierra Nevada mountains above 2,500 feet between Saturday morning and Monday morning, with anywhere from 4 to 18 inches possible at elevations above 1,000 feet, according to the Sacramento Bee.
Heavy wind gusts are also expected, all the way up to 60 mph expected at high elevations.
Severe weather is expected Friday across the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys into the Southeast with snow expected across the eastern Great Lakes into New England Friday afternoon into Saturday. pic.twitter.com/KIq54ECKnY
— NWS Eastern Region (@NWSEastern) March 2, 2023
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California is not the only state facing hazardous weather conditions as the weekend approaches. Texas, parts of the Midwest, the Southeast, and the Northeast are all expected to experience severe weather Friday into Saturday, according to the NWS.
Up to 15 feet of snow has also caused national parks such as Yosemite to be closed down. The National Park Service has not yet announced when it will open back up.
