Stranded In San Bernardino Mountains For More Than A Week, Residents Are Eager For Relief

Some residents are worried for their horses, while others were hunkered down in tents pitched in their own homes — trying to stay warm in indoor temperatures in the 40s and with sporadic power outages.

More than a week into icy, snowy conditions, San Bernardino County mountain communities were beyond being ready for relief.

"I've lived here 22 years, but I've never seen this much snow," said Lynda Derepentigny, 78, who lives right off of Highway 138 in Crestline.

The snowfall has been massive.

A view from a San Bernardino County sheriff's helicopter Thursday.

(Courtesy San Bernardino County Sheriff's Dept.)

Caltrans said crews had removed 7,276,231 cubic yards of snow from roads in the San Bernardino Mountains as of Wednesday.

Relief for stranded mountain residents was on its way Thursday. The California National Guard was deployed following Gov. Gavin Newsom's declaration of a state of emergency in 13 counties, including San Bernardino.

The guard was prepping helicopters Thursday morning at Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos to head up to the mountains to assist residents, some of whom have been without power for days and unable to leave their snowed-in homes.

Authorities were also able to open up travel Thursday mid-morning on State Route 18 from Big Bear to Lucerne Valley — for residents only. Highways 18 and 330 remained closed early Thursday afternoon above San Bernardino.

Calls for help

Some residents were getting increasingly desperate for help, unable to get medicine and supplies. Derepentigny said she and her 12 horses have been trapped since the first storm last weekend.

"I am down to two bales of hay and I'm gonna be scraping the barn floor to feed them because there's no way I can go down the hill or even get to the main street to get out of here," she told LAist.

Crestline resident Lynda Derepentigny had to shovel a narrow path. She remains stuck at her home.

(Courtesy Lynda Derepentigny)

She said several carports in the trailer park next to her had collapsed, as had the roof of the only market in town.

Marcia Woloshun, who lives alone in Running Springs, said she considered herself lucky that her power had only gone out for about 16 hours on Wednesday. She said she set up a tent in her living room for a few hours yesterday, thinking she's stay warmer in a smaller space.

"It kind of kept me a little warmer," Woloshun said. Still, she said, her house was 49 degrees inside. Her power went out again Thursday afternoon toward the end of a phone interview with LAist.

Marcia Woloshun has been stuck at her house in Running Springs.

(Courtesy Marcia Woloshun)

Woloshun said she worried about older neighbors and others who weren't as well-stocked for the storm as she was. As it is, though, she said the isolation was taxing her mental health.

"My car is under here," Marcia Woloshun, a Running Springs resident, texted LAist in reference to the photo.

(Courtesy Marcia Woloshun)

"It's a lot for for us to all handle," said Woloshun, who normally commutes to work as a nurse in Redlands but hasn't been able to since the storm hit last weekend. "You think you see the light at the end of the tunnel and then something happens, like your power goes off."

Woloshun said she had made multiple efforts over the past week to dig out her car from under a massive pile of snow — in hopes of being able to drive down the mountain to stay with her parents — only to have it quickly re-covered by new snow.

"One day, I went out and I shoveled for four-and-a-half, five hours. And then it snowed. And it was like, 'Oh, it doesn't even look like I did anything.'"

About the emergency declaration

San Bernardino County residents have been under a state of emergency since Monday evening, as the rush of snow from the winter storm has left some people in mountain communities stranded or even snowed in.

The declaration calls for state and federal support to help clear mountain highways and neighboring streets from snow, as well as to provide any other resources.

Before and after: the view from space

The area has seen a dramatic influx of snow, visible in these NASA images released Monday. These are shots, from space, of Southern California from Feb. 10 and Feb. 26.

(Pictures courtesy NASA)

Here are the resources available

• An emergency shelter has been set up at Redlands East Valley High School. Resources are available daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and the American Red Cross Southern California is providing meals.
• Residents can also reach out to a call center at 909-387-3911 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. for more information.
• If you are over the age of 65 and unable to plow your driveway, you can call the Senior Assistance Center at 800-510-2020 for a list of contractors. Other local groups like the Rotary, Lions Club and Kiwanis will provide you with assistance.

FAQ on snow removal

What's next

We'll keep updating this report as more information becomes available.

Phoenix Tso and Jacob Margolis contributed to this story.