POLLOCK PINES, Calif. — The amount of time drivers spend on Highway 50 continues to grow as Caltrans continued calling for people to stay off the roads unless necessary.
“The more you get out there. The more it makes it challenging for our maintenance teams," said Caltrans Director Toks Omishakin in a Twitter video.
However, even when drivers took the advice of Caltrans and turned around, some pulled into Pollock Pines and found very slick and snowed in roads.
“We definitely got buried it. It was a big winter storm we didn’t expect it," said Winston, who only wanted to be referred to be his first name.
Winston and his friends came up for a Christmas day party. They preemptively parked their car near a Mobil Gas station, hoping to escape the snow.
They have been digging out the snow for three days now.
Outside, locals are looking for a hard-to-find item, fuel for generators.
A woman who spoke with ABC10's John Bartell said she was out of gas and traveled three miles in the opposite direction just to find the gas station shut down.
Up the street from the gas station is the Pollock Pines Senior Mobile Home, where a man named Randy was able to dig out his truck. He took has it upon himself to try and get the last amount of fuel available for his neighbors.
“It's all about survival right now. I am going up to get them gas and propane. Stop by the grocery store. See what is there," he said.
Caltrans has been and continues urging people to stay off the road.
“Stay off the roads. The conditions are treacherous,” Omishakin said.
In a statement Governor Gavin Newsom added to the calls for people to stay home and says he's working to mitigate the impacts of the storms.
“At my direction, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services has activated the State Operations Center to monitor storm conditions and coordinate all necessary assistance. I want to thank all our emergency responders for working diligently through trying weather conditions to keep our communities safe. I strongly encourage all Californians to avoid making the situation worse and refrain from traveling on mountain roads until conditions improve,” Newsom said in a news release.
