Stay Connected to Updates & Information
We are committed to keeping residents up-to-date as we enter day 5 of the storm response. Below is our status report for today, December 31, 2021. We will continue to provide updates as we receive them on our website at MyNevadaCounty.com/StormInfo.
Call 211 for Unmet Needs
The Emergency Operations Center is coordinating with our partners at 211 Connecting Point to assist residents in meeting critical needs for shelter, transportation, heat, food, and water. If you or someone you know is in need, please call 1-833-DIAL211to speak with a local call specialist.
Help us spread the word: Dial 2-1-1 for unmet needs. Dial 9-1-1 for life-threatening emergencies
Nearly All County Roads Open
Roads teams made great progress today and almost all County roads are now open and passable. All roads in Alta Sierra are open to emergency traffic and tall vehicles with the exception of Ball, Francis, Ragan which require phone company participation which is pending. Lower Colfax, Laws Ranch Cross, Burma, and Rattlesnake are open.
Task Force Responded to Hardest Hit Areas
PG&E, CALFIRE, Nevada County Office of Emergency Services and Roads personnel task force allowed for the quick removal of downed trees with PG&E lines in them today. Trees that have telecommunications lines in them have been identified for response by local telecommunication companies.
County GIS Team Tracks Utility Issues to Expedite Service
Our Geographic Information Systems (GIS) team have been deployed on County roadways the last several days to assist PG&E and road crews in mapping downed power lines and blocked roads to gain a clearer picture of the scope of road access issues in Nevada County. We are providing this information to PG&E to assist them in prioritizing the removal of downed lines.
YubaNet is gathering resident-reported roadway issues such as downed trees and power lines in roadways. This data is being shared with our GIS team and PG&E. If residents come across downed trees, lines or blocked roadways, they are encouraged to report it: https://yubanet.com/regional/report-storm-damage-in-nevada-county/. Even with the widespread outages, YubaNet has received over 400 damage reports, in addition to the intel GIS staff gathering in the field today.
Increased PG&E Resources Coming to Nevada County
EOC leadership has been meeting with PG&E several times a day to focus resources on clearing downed power lines in trees and roadways. County executives have ensured that our state and federal leaders are aware of the critical needs in Nevada County. Yesterday, County staff spoke with Senator Dahle and Assemblywoman Dahle, Supervisor Sue Hoek spoke with Congressman LaMalfa, and our state lobbyist coordinated with PG&E's leadership and the Governor’s office at the State level.
Today, PG&E has teamed up with our County Road crews and Cal Fire engine and saw teams to work together to deactivate power lines and clear critical roadways. We expect PG&E to continue to bring in additional crews from out of the area.
Governor Proclaims State of Emergency for Nevada County
The Governor's State of Emergency proclamation expedites bringing additional resources into our community. Our Office of Emergency Services was the first impacted County to declare a local emergency on Monday, and staff has been deployed nonstop.
More Transit Services Resume
Nevada County Connects (transit services) resumed Route 6 service to Penn Valley via Rough & Ready Highway, in addition to Route 1, 3 & 4 serving the greater Nevada City and Grass Valley areas. Our extended bus routes to get residents safely to the overnight shelter at Bear River High School continue. Please call our partners at 211 at 1-833-DIAL211 for up-to-date information on transportation options.
Two Shelter Locations Continue
Nevada County continues to partner with the Red Cross to open an overnight cold weather shelter in the Bear River High School Multipurpose Room at 11130 Magnolia Road, in addition to the Nevada City Veterans Hall shelter. The shelter will remain open as long as needed, but will both be open at least through Sunday night. The Bear River shelter will provide heat, food, and showers to guests. No pets are allowed. Service animals are welcome. Please call 211 at 1-833-DIAL211 for additional transportation information.
Residents Are Encouraged to Check in on their Neighbors
Today marks day 5 of power outages in Nevada County. With over 16,000 residents still out of power, we're encouraging residents to continue these acts of kindness into the new year. Our emergency operations and storm response teams are fully staffed throughout the holiday weekend and ready to continue to make progress into the new year.
Stay Prepared: Sand & Sandbags Stocked Up for Upcoming Rains
Rains are predicted to start Monday. On top of the heavy snow we just received, our four sand and sandbag locations are stocked up before the upcoming rains. Sand and sandbags are free to the public, but residents are reminded to bring their own shovel to shovel their own sand, and to please respect the sites that volunteer to host this at their locations. Find more information at: https://readynevadacounty.org/1240/Sand-Sandbags-Available.
