Stranded mountain residents frustrated as food, supplies begin to diminish

More than a week after Southern California mountain ranges were battered by a powerful winter storm, hundreds of residents are still struggling to pick up the pieces after being stranded and left with dwindling supplies. 

Massive amounts of snowfall trapped many, not only in their homes, but in various mountain communities including Lake Arrowhead, Crestline and many more San Bernardino mountain areas. 

Others are unable to reach their homes due to the many roads leading up to the mountains that have been closed, including SR-18. Long lines of vehicles waiting to be allowed up the road could be seen Saturday morning, a similar picture to that of the rest of the week. 

Officials are still not allowing access to drivers as they continue to work towards clearing the snow packed streets that were covered with feet of snow just days ago. 

So far, Caltrans crews have reported the removal of more than 8.2 million cubic yards of snow from the area.

After days of waiting, Mark Maxcy and his family are amongst those waiting for assistance from emergency responders and government aid. 

"We've been stuck up there on the mountain the whole time. Lot of snow, digging out. Street hasn't been plowed at all," he said. "We've been shoveling off the roof because so much snow, the weight, the doors are sticking, we're nervous about the house collapsing."

He and his wife couldn't wait any longer to come down the mountain, as they desperately needed medicine for their dog Sasha. 

"We wanted to back up with the kids and everything but the most important thing was the dog right now," he said. "She would've died. She has those seizures and they're really bad, we needed that medicine."

While emergency crews with San Bernardino Fire Department and the United States National Guard continue to make their way towards residents most in need of rescue, residents have started taking matters into their own hands, with no time to spare. 

"Where is the National Guard that's supposed to come up here and help?" asked Tamara Nolan, a Lake Arrowhead resident who lives with her rescue dogs. "They flew helicopters around here, that's all I ever saw. They said they were gonna come in with snowmobiles and deliver stuff to people, medications and food. I haven't seen any of that."

She's desperately hoping for medication for her own pet, who is also reliant on medication to stay alive. Nolan says that she's ordered the medication to her P.O. box, which is still not open as mail isn't being delivered to the area. 

A donation site was set up at St. Bernadine Medical Center by volunteers, offloading food, water and other supplies that were previously dropped off by caravan escorts and helicopters. 

"We had about eight trucks just leave packed to the brim with diapers, formula, food, shovels — we need more," said Rita Nelson, a Running Springs resident whose home is still inaccessible. Instead, she's offering her time to help others who need it. "What we're really lacking is medical supplies and medications, first aid."

She's helping spearhead a campaign for communities to post on social media, alerting residents in need of available supplies.

"If they're in need, they're filling out this form with their address, phone number and what need. If it's medical, food, if they're trapped. Whatever the situation and we're going based on severity of need," she said. 

Officials said that the earliest residents could return home via SR-18 Saturday evening, but expected that it could be pushed back to Sunday.