The governor of California embarked on a “personal trip” in Mexico, while citizens were left with the problems aftermath of a devastating winter storm, has been revealed.
The atypical weather saw as much as 10 feet of snow fell in several Southern California cities, triggering states of emergency in more than 13 counties.
Los Angeles was one of the areas hardest hit by the severe weather, as well as neighboring ones San Bernardino County, where residents are reportedly stranded in their homes after being bombarded with snow not only Monday, but also last week.
Now nearly two weeks since the first flakes fell, citizens are grappling with the possibility of their roofs collapsing under the weight of snow accumulation, while many are still waiting to dig their cars out of their snow-covered prisons.
State officials are now spearheading relief efforts — after revealing on Tuesday that the state’s governor had been on vacation all week while emergency orders were in effect. He has since returned, but not before 13 deaths were reported as a result of the storm.
Governor Gavin Newsom is briefed by staffers in a baseball cap and jeans after aborting a ‘personal trip’ to Mexico
Monday’s rally came as residents were stranded in their homes after being bombarded with snow for nearly two weeks. Don Kendrick and Deanna Beaudoin were among many still stranded on their properties after being bombarded with dozens of feet of snow
“The governor was on a personal trip in Baja California,” Newsom’s office confirmed in a statement Tuesday night, after several cities had seen snow for eight consecutive days.
“He returned to the state on Sunday, met with emergency services at the State Operations Center and received a briefing on current conditions,” the representative added.
According to the spokesman, the briefing saw the progressive politician received’an update on winter storms and the state’s work to support disaster relief and relief efforts” from staffers in his office.
Staffers then shared a photo of the late-night meeting, which showed a pensive, baseball-cap-clad Newsom sitting at a conference table listening to one of his staffers.
A day later, the governor pledged his state would no longer do business with Walgreens, the country’s second-largest pharmacy, due to the decision to stop selling abortion pills at U.S. locations, even in states where they are legal. are.
Announced the decision Monday, Newsom failed to address the situation currently facing thousands of residents in hard-hit areas of San Bernardino County, where citizens are trapped by walls of snow and face the reality of dwindling supplies.
The San Bernardino mountains covered in inches and inches of snow as rescue vehicles work to get residents back on the grid after two back-to-back blizzards hit the area
“Imagine running out of food in the house after being trapped for 13 days,” Michelle Calkins, a resident of the still-snowbound San Bernardino community of Crestline, told me. KTLA-TV on Monday about the conditions after being snowed in for 13 days.
Other residents, such as Don Kendrick and Deanna Beaudoin, were among many still trapped in their properties, and the pair were only able to clear their cars on Sunday, 12 days after the 9,000-strong community was first hit by the first snowfall. .
The cold snap has since moved eastward into the Wester Plains, giving residents like Calkins, Kendrick and Beaudoin some respite.
In a statement Monday, Newsom’s office claimed that “significant numbers of state personnel are on site to support affected areas,” including those in San Bernadino County, just east of Los Angeles.
Crews are now working to reach immobilized communities such as Crestline, where five free food distribution centers have reportedly been set up.
Snowfall surrounds city streets and businesses in Crestline, California
San Bernardino Mountain residents brave long lines for food at Goodwin & Son’s Market in Crestline, California, Friday, March 3, 2023, amid a shortage caused by heavy snowfall. The roof of the store eventually collapses from the weight of the snow
Newsom’s office said Monday that more than 57 state employees from the California Department of Transportation have been dispatched to those communities, carrying 40 high-powered attachments, including graders, loaders, dump trucks, snow plows and blowers.
Officials insisted operations have been successful so far, with state staffers — assisted by Newsom’s office and the California National Guard — removing more than 7.2 million cubic feet of snow from the state highways in San Bernardino County.
That said, that update was provided on Saturday, shortly before residents of the largely mountainous region experienced as much as 15 inches (38 cm) of snow in a 24-hour period, likely delaying rescue efforts.
Severe weather across much of So-Cal has since eased, with areas now experiencing only light snowfall after nearly two weeks of snowfall.
Businesses in the area, including some supermarkets, remain closed and citizens say on Monday they are becoming increasingly desperate
Newsom’s office said Monday that more than 57 California Department of Transportation staffers have been dispatched to the area, carrying 40 high-powered work tools, including graders, loaders, dump trucks, snow plows and blowers.
The sudden cold front is now poised to move further east, bringing more snow to western plains communities in the Dakotas, Nebraska and parts of Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin.
A warmer storm system is headed for the San Bernardino mountains later this week. The expected warmer rain is expected to hit the region Thursday night into Friday morning.
Although the warm air and rain will melt the remaining snow faster, the risk of flooding is increasing.
In the meantime, apart from reports of snowbound people still emerging, there have been several reports of house fires and gas leaks as many roads remain closed and the open roads are congested with emergency vehicles.
Meanwhile, Northern California’s Sierra Nevadas are also seeing record snow numbers, receiving five feet of extra snow on Monday after being bombarded by more than 13 feet in the past two weeks.
The area is now being hit by the remnants of southwest weather in San Bernardino and LA, prompting officials to issue an avalanche warning, with another One and a half meters of snow is expected.
In addition, officials in San Bernardino now face the task of clearing about 500 miles of tight, winding roads in the mountain regions — a mission the county said was about 80 percent complete on Sunday.
Businesses in the area, including some supermarkets, remain closed and citizens say on Monday they are becoming increasingly desperate.
Derek Hayes, a resident of the nearby community of Cedar Glen, told CNN: People are getting desperate. They need medicine. They need food for their children.’
The snowfall total for the storms currently stands at 15.5 meters, which rivals only the winter of 1951-1952 for the most snow.
On Tuesday, 13 deaths were confirmed as a result of the extreme weather.