Southern California snowstorm traps people in their homes
A Southern California woman caught in a snowstorm dies at age 93 after being trapped in her home
LOS ANGELES — Frustrated Southern California mountain residents are finally digging themselves out of a historic winter storm that dumped more than 100 inches of snow in a region that had faced unprecedented drought conditions just a few months earlier.
The ferocity of the storm in the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles appeared to catch residents and officials off-guard and unprepared, trapping hundreds of residents for nearly two weeks as roads became impassable and roofs collapsed under the weight of a weather event rarely experienced in this part of the state.
Hikers were stranded, and people posted on social media about loved ones stuck in cabins with no way out. The sheriff's department delivered freeze-dried meals to people who were running out of food, but not everyone could access emergency pantries because of closed roads.
"Nobody expected that much snow," said Valli Bryan Compton, whose great aunt, Elinor "Dolly" Avenatti, 93, was found dead Monday in her home in Crestline by a concerned neighbor who was checking on her.
The San Bernardino County coroner’s office said there was no evidence Avenatti’s death was related to the weather.
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