Pollock Pines community braces for incoming rain as crews race to restore power

Pacific Gas and Electric says progress is being made in restoring power in Northern California's El Dorado County. Crews are taking advantage of the break in the weather after recent storm activity and are out in full force working on restoration, the company said.

Some people have been without power for six days, including Matthew Decker and his family in Pollock Pines.

"It's expensive. It's getting expensive for fuel, not being able to take a shower, throwing away a bunch of food. It's getting rough," he said.

The family has been relying on their wood-burning stove to keep warm.

"We've been fine that way," said Decker's wife, Katie Colwell, "but we're missing out on laundry and showers and all the good stuff."

Decker said he has been picking up odd jobs, like "snow removal, clearing downed trees," to offset costs after blowing through hundreds of dollars' worth of fuel.

Sharan Deep Singh, a homeowner in Pollock Pines, finally got power back on, but now he's dealing with a downed tree in his house.

"The whole house shook. There's quite a bit of damage now and the weather is changing," he said on Monday. "Right now, it's so beautiful, but tonight it's going to rain, and now there's a hole in the roof. The water is going to go inside and there's hardwood floors inside. It's all going to get damaged."

With more wet weather on the way, it's a race against time for PG&E to get ahead of clean-up and power restoration. Their crews are working extended shifts into the middle of the week.

"We are tracking the storm system that's coming in very closely. We'll be getting rain at elevations where we just recently had snow, and that does cause some concerns for potential flooding," said Paul Moreno with PG&E.

Decker said it's been years since he saw a storm like this in Pollock Pines, but he says it's all about neighbors helping neighbors. He's sold nearly all of the firewood he dug out of the snow.

"It's a pretty tight-knit community. I like it. We look out for each other," he said.