In Southern California, Snow Has Trapped People for Days

After they reached their dwelling, their neighbor, Mr. Radleigh, had helped clear area for his or her automobiles.

“We principally needed to crawl like lizards up the hill with our groceries,” Mr. Salas, 51, mentioned. Then they needed to dig their means by to their entrance door.

Since then, the household has been attempting to maintain their spirits up, gazing on the nine-foot icicles and attempting to maintain their canine, a Shar-Pei pit bull named Sonny, from sinking into the snow like quicksand. They’ve been stretching what Ms. Salas, 50, estimated is about 4 extra days’ value of meat, pastas, rice, beans and tortillas.

“It’s stunning however harmful proper now,” she mentioned. “We are able to’t even exit to take pleasure in it.”

In a Friday information convention, San Bernardino County officers sought to reassure residents that assist was on the best way.

“Of us, we’re right here for you,” Sheriff Shannon Dicus mentioned. “We’re going to dig you out, and we’re coming.”

Nonetheless, Sheriff Dicus emphasised that the networks of state highways, facet roads and even driveways have been just like the arteries, veins and capillaries of an enormous physique and mentioned it could take time to clear them. Crews have made progress forging a slender path for automobiles alongside many roads, however they’ve been unable to create a lot room for automobiles to cease or go. In lots of circumstances, they nonetheless have to dig by partitions of snow to create passageways on every property for folks and automobiles to depart.

Officers mentioned it could possibly be at the least one other week earlier than they’d permit entry to the mountain communities for anybody past residents and emergency crews.