Rain has arrived - Be safe out there!
 The predicted rainfall has arrived in the San Bernardino mountains. County crews are monitoring flowing water and are prepared to ensure it travels where it should unobstructed. There are also steps blizzard-impacted mountain residents should take as rainfall on snow can present unique hazards.
The rain could quickly melt much of the snow, creating the threat of flooding. The rain could also add weight to snow perched on rooftops, increasing the threat of collapse. Showers could also loosen roof-top snow that has turned to ice, causing it to slide off in heavy, dangerous sheets.
In addition to the actions recommended in the above graphic, residents should make sure they are signed up for emergency notifications and also download the SB Ready app. Residents can do both on the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District website.
A limited supply of sandbags are available at County Fire District fire stations for this storm and the storms to come, but homeowners should not depend on this supply and ideally should plan to purchase bags from home improvement and hardware stores. Purchase sandbags early and make them a part of your emergency supplies so they will be available when you need them.
Additional sandbag information and sandbag locations can be found on County Fire’s website. Due to weather and traffic conditions, sandbag resources are available at these additional locations:
- Crestline Community Center, 24385 Lake Dr., Crestline, CA 92322
- San Bernardino County Fire Station 30, 26330 CA-18, Rimforest, CA 92378
Supplementary locations can be found here: bit.ly/SandbagLocations. For more information on storm-related updates, please visit snowinfo.sbcounty.gov or call (909) 387-3911.
Storm Response Updates resume Monday
The Storm Response Updates newsletter will not be published on Saturday and Sunday. Stay up to date on storm recovery information by visiting the San Bernardino County Facebook page and following us on Twitter and Instagram, @sbcounty. The newsletter will return on Monday.
Meanwhile, check out the progress we made today in our daily highlight reel!
 100% of County roads now drivable. Crews now creating second lanes.
Today marks a milestone! As of this morning, 100% of San Bernardino County's 516 miles of County-maintained roads have been serviced and are now passable! This is all due to dedicated staff working 24 hours a day since before the historic blizzard hit our San Bernardino County mountains. County Public Works will continue efforts to clear and widen roads while disaster response personnel make progress opening up non-County maintained roads. Reminder – Passable means less than 8” of snow on the road and approved for use by appropriately equipped vehicles (chains on all drive wheels).
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Firefighters dig out Crestline Post Office
The Crestline Post Office was able to reopen today thanks to the hard work of a team of firefighters who dug the building out from under tons of snow. Watch their story here.
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President Biden signs emergency declaration
President Biden today declared that an emergency exists in San Bernardino County and other California counties and ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local response efforts. The declaration does not include assistance for residents, property owners or businesses, but the County will continue to advocate for our residents and businesses at the state and federal levels to secure the relief we need and deserve.
 County offers reimbursements of up to $500 for snow removal
Paying someone to remove snow from private property can be expensive, especially in communities that saw up to 10 feet of snowfall.
The County is using a portion of the $10 million set aside by the Board of Supervisors to reimburse residents and businesses up to $500 to help cover what they've spent on professional snow removal.
There are some requirements, including the submission of photos of the completed work.
See details in the above flyer.
 Food continues to be available at the County’s Commodity Points of Distribution
The County recognizes that food has been hard to come by in our mountain communities. That’s why the County is making free food available to mountain residents at sites in Wrightwood, Running Springs, Blue Jay, Crestline, and the Valley of Enchantment. For details, see the flyer below. Note the new location in Wrightwood.
 Snowcats steal the show at County Fire media event
The San Bernardino County Fire Protection District today summoned the news media and showed off one of the stars of the County's coordinated blizzard recovery effort - a snowcat all-terrain vehicle.
Snowcats are one of the few vehicles that can travel in deep snow and are vital emergency vehicles in our mountain areas when snow and ice conditions don’t allow a conventional fire/rescue response. A snowcat (a portmanteau of snow and caterpillar) is an enclosed-cab, truck-sized, fully tracked vehicle designed to move on snow. San Bernardino County Fire deploys a large fleet of snowcat vehicles, which are strategically placed across our snow prone mountain areas.
In 2014, County Fire snowcats were pivotal in rescuing more than 130 stranded motorists on Highway 138. Multiple snowcats were able to access, rescue and transport them to safety. During this year's blizzard emergency, snowcats were used to rescue residents from their snow-buried homes and bring supplies to those who chose to stay in their homes.
  If you smell something, say something!
If you smell natural gas, call Southern California Gas or 911. Do not turn off your own gas service, because it might be quite some time before the Gas Company can turn service back on.
 
County donation program is seeing results
Many donations from generous people and organizations with generous hearts have been received through the County's Storm Response donations program.
Residents in our mountain communities are in need of the public’s help to recover from the storms for weeks to come. The following is an example of donations that residents need:
- Canned goods
- Non-perishable foods
- Sanitary Supplies such as toilet paper, diapers, wipes, paper towels
- Dry goods
- Baby formula
- Water
There are two ways to donate:
1. During the business hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. donors may call our hotline at (909) 387-3911, press option 2, and speak to a live representative that will coordinate your donation.
After the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., donors may click on the following link: San Bernardino County Storm Response Emergency Donations or scan the QR Code to provide information regarding donations. A County team member will reach out to donors to coordinate next steps if the specific services or items are needed at this time.
2. Cash donations will be received by the Red Cross. You can help people affected by disasters like storms and countless other crises by making a gift to Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Visit redcross.org, call 800-RED-CROSS, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Please indicate San Bernardino County Storm Disaster Relief.
The need for donations will evolve with the conditions in the mountains. If donors do not receive a response from us, the donation may not be needed at this time.
The County will soon establish locations where mountain residents can access these donations.
Thank you for your support. Together we stand strong.
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