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County of Lake declares local emergency due to storm event
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The county of Lake on Thursday declared a local emergency in response to the severe storm that is currently active in Lake County.
The official title for this storm event is “Winter Storms December 2014,” county officials reported.
The city of Lakeport also declared an emergency Thursday morning.
The county, and the cities of Lakeport and Clearlake have all activated their emergency operations centers.
Lake County Office of Emergency Services participated in a regional conference call with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) and other central region counties at 11 a.m. Thursday, according to Jill Ruzicka, the county's public information office.
Ruzicka reported that there were situation updates from state and local jurisdictions, as well as law enforcement and public utilities.
A representative from CalOES is on-site at the Lake County Emergency Operation Center, Ruzicka said.
Flooding is extreme in Lake County, particularly in the Clearlake area. There are numerous road closures, power outages and localized flooding throughout the county.
Red Cross has set up a shelter at Lower Lake High School, located at 9430 Lake St. in Lower Lake. Ruzicka said early Thursday afternoon that it was the only shelter open in Lake County at this time.
There is no phone number to call for specific information, but you can find more information about Red Cross shelters at www.redcross.org .
Early Thursday afternoon, Pacific Gas and Electric had reported power outages to approximately 1,500 customers in Lake County.
The outages are located in the following places in the Kelseyville area: Adam Springs, Cobb, Whispering Pines, Loch Lomond, along Highway 175, north to Seigler Springs Road, south to Harbin Springs Road, west to Cobb Mountain, east to Big Canyon Road.
In Clearlake, there is an outage on Lakeshore Drive and Palmer Avenue at Emory Avenue.
The customer service number for PG&E is 800-743-5000.
The road conditions are changing quickly. According to Mike Stone, fire and rescue mutual aid coordinator, “It’s hard to predict what will happen with the roads until we have sustained dry weather.
The Lake County Department of Public Works is providing updates on road conditions on an hourly basis.
That information will be posted on the website at: www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Public_Works/Roads.htm . Click on the pdf entitled “Road Conditions” in the left hand column.
Other websites that include information on road conditions include the Caltrans Web site; http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov is an interactive map from Caltrans.
To get to Caltrans road conditions visit http://www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi .
The CHP's Web site is at http://cad.chp.ca.gov/Traffic.aspx . Look for information in the “Ukiah” area. You have the option to click in on the left hand side of the page.
All school districts in Lake County were closed for the day. The only exception was Lucerne Elementary school.
Lakeside Transit has suspended its service until further notice.
The Department of Public Health is closed today due to flooding.
“Given the road conditions, the safest thing to do is stay put,” said Lake County Office of Emergency Services Manager Marisa Chilafoe. “If you must drive, please do so with extreme caution.”
You can call the following the number 707-263-2360 for updated recorded information or check the County of Lake, California Facebook page for current information.
It is always good to remember the following:
– If you see downed power lines, please stay away from it and call 911 immediately. You can then call PG&E at 707-743-5002 to report the downed line.
– Only use the 911 number for emergencies. If you are unsure about whether it is an emergency or not, please call the 911 operator to assist you.
– If you have a non-emergency law enforcement matter, you can call Central Dispatch at (707) 263-2690.
– Residents can call 707-263-2360 for a recording of updated information.
– Sand bags are available at local hardware stores or lumber yards. They may be running low on stock, so it is best ahead to call ahead to check on supplies. Phone numbers and addresses for those businesses can be found online or in the Yellow Pages.