First responders warn mountain communities of snow runoff dangers with incoming storm

First responders are warning southland mountain communities about the dangers of snow run-off with rain and warmer temperatures. Southland mountains communities still digging out from the historic winter storm now risk dangerous flooding with the incoming rainstorms causing heavy snowmelt. 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved help for dozens of counties, including San Bernardino. Incident management Team public information officer Amanda Munsey said they have about 700 first responders in the San Bernardino mountains. 

"We have sandbag distribution sites that are set up around the mountain communities. Those residents not only have access to sandbags but also sand that has been brought up," said Munsey. "If a lot of rain comes, it can absorb the weight of the water into the snow, and that makes it that much heavier. The weight of the water could collapse certain structures."

A limited supply of free sandbags will be available at San Bernardino County Fire stations. 

Riverside Emergency Management Department tweeted alerts warning of significant rain forecast for the San Jacinto and Santa Ana River area. One of the tweets said in part, "Anyone living in, hiking, cycling, horseback riding or playing in the Santa Ana river or channels leading to it should move to higher ground now. Heavy rains may result in dangerous water flows." Another tweet included a similar warning for the San Jancitio riverbed and channel.

Senior Public Information Officer for the County's Emergency Management Department, Shane Reichardt, said their main concern is snow melt causing flooding.

"One of our big concerns is working with the unhoused population. So we make notifications in the riverbeds and channels where we've occasionally seen water rescues people who've been in traps," said Reichardt. "Some of that snow could be melting, and we could see increased flow."

First responders recommend mountain residents remove snow from rooftops to avoid damage and be cautious when driving.

The rain likely will slow down recovery efforts as first responders continue to help affected residents.

"It's going to, you know, just make things a little bit harder on all the people out there, but it's not going to stop them. We're gonna keep on going and keep on going until we get this handled," said Munsey.

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