MEYERS, Calif. — El Dorado County residents fear the worst after the county announced it doesn’t have enough snow plow drivers for the winter.
While the road might be clear now, they’re afraid the first big storm could lead to a disaster.
Patrick McDonnell is getting his snow removal equipment ready in Meyers.
“It impacts everyone in this town. If you can’t get up in the morning and get to work or get your kids to school or get to the doctor, it brings the town to a halt,” McDonnell said.
He’s thinking back to last winter.
“There were days where more than 48 hours, it got to three days, four days the roads weren’t plowed,” McDonnell said. “This whole town is built on tourism but without the locals being able to get to their jobs, then how are you going to make it work?”
His side business is snow removal for vacation homes. He knows firsthand that crews will never catch up unless they work 24 hours.
“The easiest time to do snow removal is at night when everyone is sleeping, and if they don’t do it, it will be a disaster,” he said.
Amy Lindstrom was on her normal grocery run, but she knows come winter it won’t be possible without plows. She was stuck for multiple days last year.
"I worry about medical emergencies. Can medical vehicles get into the streets? Can they get out of the streets, so it's concerning,” Lindstrom said.
As a teacher, Lindstrom says she knows she and her students don’t want to make up snow days into the summer, but the problem of not having enough snow plow drivers isn’t new.
“We need living wages and (it) goes all the way down to the plow drivers. We hear about other agencies paying quite a bit more and as residents it’s concerning because we then pay the price,” Lindstrom said.
It’s why El Dorado County is offering a $6,000 bonus to new hire drivers, according to the posted application. The county told ABC10 it currently has three snow plow removal employees, three in the background process and four scheduled for interviews next week.
They need a total of seven to be fully staffed. The county said they have and will continue to provide night-time snow removal operations.
(Editor's Note: This article has been corrected to reflect that interviews are happening next week.)
WATCH MORE ON ABC10: California Winter Weather | Sierra snow storm, frost and fog in the forecast
