PLACER COUNTY, Calif. — Placer County officials announced Friday the area is in a state of emergency due to the impacts from the ongoing winter storms.
The county is requesting state and federal help after mountainous areas got up to 8 feet of snow in the blizzard earlier this week — which lead to evacuations in Olympic Valley.
At least one person in the county, an 80-year-old woman, died from winter storm-related causes after her porch collapsed in Foresthill.
According to Placer County officials, their Emergency Operations Center has been activated since Feb. 26 to support a countywide emergency response in coordination with CAL FIRE and the Placer County Sheriff’s Office.
Gov. Gavin Newsom also announced Wednesday the following Northern California counties are in a local state of emergency due to the snow storms:
- Amador
- Mariposa
- Nevada
- Sierra
- Sonoma
- Tulare
At least 2,000 households are impacted by power outages, officials said. Weather forecasts show another one to five feet of snowfall might be in store through early next week.
“This week’s storms added to an already challenging winter for our communities, and it’s not over yet,” said Jane Christenson, Placer Director of Emergency Services and County Executive Officer. “Our first responders and road crews continue to work around the clock to keep our residents safe and roads clear. As we hunker down for another storm, we encourage everyone to do as much as they can to prepare while conditions are clear and look out for our neighbors in the coming days.”
