I've been having to get water from my neighbors and we
put it into a trash can. We're force flushing
everything. Kevin Martinez hasn had gas or water in
his home for months. A scar of his hellish winter. I
kept playing on the roof and removing snow. When back
two back snowstorms buried the San Bernardino Mountains
in February and March. Residents like Martinez found
themselves trapped. The National Weather Service issued
its first ever blizzard warning for the area and across
the parking lot, Martinez watched as a building under
construction opened up like a flower. They showed up
and turned off the gas right after and that's when it
really started to get bad down the street. Aina Sr was
shocked when the roof of her local grocery store came
down. It was surreal to come here and look through the
front doors that I've walked through so many times and
see the sky. She managed to relocate during the storm
and watched from a distance as the snow pummeled her
home, my chimney was sheared off at the base of the
roof and all that snow, including the chimney its
fell onto my deck and completely demolished my en
deck. So how much repair are you looking at I have
estimates for my deck for $30,000. She's far far from
alone. That's why FEMA and the Small Business
Administration are here. Part of a newly established
disaster relief center, helping residents get the money
they need to rebuild. For homeowners. We offer up to
$200,000 to repair, replace physical damage to your
home and $40,000 for personal property, anything tha
inside the home and your primary car 2 23 was unlike
anything we've seen in at least 40 years, we had 13
atmospheric rivers. So on an average year, uh we have
four or five. Alex Tardy is a National Weather service
meteorologist. He's keeping tra of how much snow
still sits on the mountains and especially in the
Sierra Nevadas, how much water is still packed inside.
They still have between 90 and 100 inches of water. Uh
Even in Lake Tahoe area, it's anywhere from 60 to 80
inches of water. So that's a, that's an entire season.
Um And then some now as all that snow starts to melt,
that water could overwhelm California's infrastr
in March. The Aqueduct, carrying water to California's
largest city breached the first time the critical
pipeline gave way under severe weather. Now, crews are
doing everything they can to reinforce it but worry it
may not be enough. So it's going to depend highly on
the weather pattern. But I would say the southern
Sierra, Nevada, Yosemite, that general area is where
we're going to see the most problems. Brimming
reservoirs may soon need to release water. A spring of
flooding valleys while communit above dr to rebuild,
including that beloved grocery store, they're telling
the community, hey, we expect to be rebuilt within a
year and a half while others try to find a new roof of
their own. I'm having to move back down the mountain.
Unfortunately, I'm gathering wh money I can so I
can get something cheap for my family just because you
can't live like this. And amid the chaos and heartbreak,
try to find a silver lining like harnessing the ener
of a community coming together to revitalize a place
desperately in need of tourism. I said from the very
beginning to our president at the Chamber of Commerce,
this will be the catalyst. You've never seen a fired up
group of seniors in your life until you see these
people go and what if and she's doing that and you
should have seen him and they just, the energy is just
undeniable. The big takeaway for Alex Charity that
National Weather Service meteorologist is that
California needs to do a much better job of water
management, getting the water from where it's too much
to where it is still today needed James Packer for u
Live in San Bernardino County, California. James. Than
you very much.