San Bernardino County Officials Acknowledge They Were Unprepared For Blizzard That Left Many Trapped

San Bernardino County officials have admitted that they were unprepared for the recent devastating blizzard that hit the area.  Back-to-back winter storms caused many residents to become trapped and in need of help, with some experiencing gas leaks and running out of food supplies.  According to the LA Times, residents of the area were stranded for more than a week.

The storm swept through the mountains, and while snow plows are usually equipped to clear paths, this time around, that wasn’t the case.  Emergency crews have been working around the clock to help the communities that are still snowed in.

“We learned some valuable lessons when it comes to clearing the roads,” said San Bernardino County Fire Chief Dan Munsey during a joint news conference with state and local officials. “Unfortunately, the snow came down so quickly and piled up so fast that the front-end plows that we’re used to using on a routine basis became ineffective.”

The San Bernardino Mountains experienced historic levels of snowfall since last week, with Running Springs reporting 12 feet, Big Bear Lake 11 feet, and Lake Arrowhead a little over 9 feet, according to the National Weather Service.

Officials have admitted that they did not have the appropriate equipment to handle a blizzard of this size.  However, some residents are outraged at the county’s response and efforts, and they are unsatisfied with the officials’ admission of their lack of preparedness.

“The warning that we had for the blizzard wasn’t weeks.  We only knew 24 to 36 hours there was a strong potential this was going to occur,” Munsey added.  He also noted that the county would not have been able to obtain the necessary equipment for a storm of this magnitude on such short notice.