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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – As Lake County continues to clean up after the winter storm damage from Thursday, local officials said preparations for damage assessment are under way.
A Thursday evening from from the county of Lake said Lake County Office of Emergency Services Manager Marisa Chilafoe plans to begin the damage assessment process of the storm event as early as Friday morning.
Due to Thursday’s severe weather event, the Lake County Office of Emergency Services activated the Emergency Operations Center at 7 a.m. Thursday, according to Jill Ruzicka, the county of Lake's public information officer.
Ruzicka said the center continued in operational mode until 7 p.m. Thursday, at which time it transitioned into “duty officer” status. It will reopen at 7 a.m. Friday.
The Village neighborhood in Clearlake was evacuated due to flooding, Ruzicka said. Approximately 100 people were impacted.
Red Cross has set up a shelter at Lower Lake High School, located at 9430 Lake St. This is the only shelter open in Lake County at this time, Ruzicka reported.
The Lake County Office of Education reports that all schools plan to be open Friday morning.
Separately, the Lakeport Unified School District told Lake County News that district officials would assess the situation early Friday morning and decide then if another closure was necessary.
Pacific, Gas & Electric has reported that all Lake County residents have had their power restored. Any additional outages should be reported to PG&E at 800-743-5000.
Lampson Field airfield is closed due to debris on the runway, caused by the overtopping of a nearby culvert, Ruzicka said.
Ruzicka said the Lake County Department of Public Works hopes to have it cleaned and reopened by mid-morning on Friday.
Road conditions will be reassessed Friday morning. However, as of early Thursday evening, the following road conditions are current:
– Lakeshore Boulevard north of Lakeport is now open to two-way traffic.
– Hill Road adjacent to Lakeside Heights remains closed and the landslide has moved over the K-rails into a portion of the road.
– Highway 29 is open.
– Highway 20 is open.
– New Long Valley Road is open, but remains at risk of closure due to slides, one-quarter mile north of intersection with Highway 20. The Lake County Department of Public Works has a crew on scene that will monitor and remove debris overnight should slide activity continue.
– Soda Bay Road from Big Valley Road to S. Main Street remains closed due to flooding.
– Soda Bay Road east of Marina View Drive in the Clearlake Riviera is being monitored for potential slide activity.
– Gaddy Lane is flooded at Loasa Road.
– Clark Drive is closed from Soda Bay Road to Jennie Dr., Kelseyville due to flooding.
– Bell Hill Road is closed at the Adobe Creek low water crossing.
– Ackley Road and Eickoff Road in Lakeport Area remain closed due to flooding.
– Scotts Valley Road from the pear sheds to SR 20 is closed due to flooding.
– Seigler Canyon Road in the Lower lake area remains closed due to flooding.
– Butts Canyon Road is experiencing flooding.
– Pitney Lane at Elk Mountain Road in Upper Lake is flooded.
– Grange Road, Middletown is experiencing flooding.
Ruzicka said members of the public wanting more information can call the county's hotline at 707-263-2360 or check the county of Lake's Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/lakecountycagov .
The recording will be next updated no later than 11 a.m. Friday, Ruzicka said.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The county of Lake on Thursday declared a local emergency in response to the severe storm that is currently active in Lake County.
The official title for this storm event is “Winter Storms December 2014,” county officials reported.
The city of Lakeport also declared an emergency Thursday morning.
The county, and the cities of Lakeport and Clearlake have all activated their emergency operations centers.
Lake County Office of Emergency Services participated in a regional conference call with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) and other central region counties at 11 a.m. Thursday, according to Jill Ruzicka, the county's public information office.
Ruzicka reported that there were situation updates from state and local jurisdictions, as well as law enforcement and public utilities.
A representative from CalOES is on-site at the Lake County Emergency Operation Center, Ruzicka said.
Flooding is extreme in Lake County, particularly in the Clearlake area. There are numerous road closures, power outages and localized flooding throughout the county.
Red Cross has set up a shelter at Lower Lake High School, located at 9430 Lake St. in Lower Lake. Ruzicka said early Thursday afternoon that it was the only shelter open in Lake County at this time.
There is no phone number to call for specific information, but you can find more information about Red Cross shelters at www.redcross.org .
Early Thursday afternoon, Pacific Gas and Electric had reported power outages to approximately 1,500 customers in Lake County.
The outages are located in the following places in the Kelseyville area: Adam Springs, Cobb, Whispering Pines, Loch Lomond, along Highway 175, north to Seigler Springs Road, south to Harbin Springs Road, west to Cobb Mountain, east to Big Canyon Road.
In Clearlake, there is an outage on Lakeshore Drive and Palmer Avenue at Emory Avenue.
The customer service number for PG&E is 800-743-5000.
The road conditions are changing quickly. According to Mike Stone, fire and rescue mutual aid coordinator, “It’s hard to predict what will happen with the roads until we have sustained dry weather.
The Lake County Department of Public Works is providing updates on road conditions on an hourly basis.
That information will be posted on the website at: www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Public_Works/Roads.htm . Click on the pdf entitled “Road Conditions” in the left hand column.
Other websites that include information on road conditions include the Caltrans Web site; http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov is an interactive map from Caltrans.
To get to Caltrans road conditions visit http://www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi .
The CHP's Web site is at http://cad.chp.ca.gov/Traffic.aspx . Look for information in the “Ukiah” area. You have the option to click in on the left hand side of the page.
All school districts in Lake County were closed for the day. The only exception was Lucerne Elementary school.
Lakeside Transit has suspended its service until further notice.
The Department of Public Health is closed today due to flooding.
“Given the road conditions, the safest thing to do is stay put,” said Lake County Office of Emergency Services Manager Marisa Chilafoe. “If you must drive, please do so with extreme caution.”
You can call the following the number 707-263-2360 for updated recorded information or check the County of Lake, California Facebook page for current information.
It is always good to remember the following:
– If you see downed power lines, please stay away from it and call 911 immediately. You can then call PG&E at 707-743-5002 to report the downed line.
– Only use the 911 number for emergencies. If you are unsure about whether it is an emergency or not, please call the 911 operator to assist you.
– If you have a non-emergency law enforcement matter, you can call Central Dispatch at (707) 263-2690.
– Residents can call 707-263-2360 for a recording of updated information.
– Sand bags are available at local hardware stores or lumber yards. They may be running low on stock, so it is best ahead to call ahead to check on supplies. Phone numbers and addresses for those businesses can be found online or in the Yellow Pages.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – With Cache Creek overflowing its banks and threatening nearby Clearlake homes, an evacuation center is being set up to get residents out of harm's way.
Residents from throughout Clearlake have reported widespread flooding throughout the morning following a night of heavy rain.
Portions of Olympic Drive, one of the city's main thoroughfares, were reported to be submerged. The video above shows Burns Valley Creek, which appeared to be overflowing into the nearby streets.
City Manager Joan Phillipe and Public Works Director Doug Herren were traveling around the city Thursday morning to assess damage.
“We do have a significant amount of flooding,” Phillipe told Lake County News.
She said flooding is particularly severe in the Burns Valley area and the “Village” – located around Meadowbrook Drive, Highlands Harbor Road and Harbor Lane – next to Cache Creek.
Phillipe said the city's initial assessment was that between 100 and 200 residents could be displaced if the creek continues to rise.
The rain let up late Thursday morning, but Phillipe said more heavy rain is forecast for the afternoon.
The situation prompted the city to open up an evacuation center, which Phillipe said they originally had planned to house at the Clearlake Senior Center on Bowers Avenue.
However, with roads in that area flooded, she said people couldn't get there safely. The center's parking lot also is completely flooded, she said.
Instead, she said the evacuation center is being set up in the gym at Lower Lake High School, which was among the majority of Lake County schools closed on Thursday due to the storm conditions. The school is located at 9430 Lake St.
Phillipe said the city is continuing to offer sandbags and sand to city residents from its Public Works corporation yard, located at 8320 Airport Road.
“We brought more sand in this morning,” she said.
Phillipe said the county activated its emergency operations center and is offering the city assistance.
Jill Ruzicka, the county's public information officer, said updates are being posted to a county hotline number that was set up at 707-263-2360.
She said residents can call in to receive information on current conditions.
In other city news, City Clerk Melissa Swanson said Thursday night's meeting – during which new council members Russell Perdock and Bruno Sabatier were to have been sworn in – has been postponed.
Swanson said the meeting has been adjourned until 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 22.
Additional updates on the situation in Clearlake will be posted as information becomes available.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The intense storm conditions on Thursday have resulted in a temporary closure of the county's bus services.
“Lake Transit Authority has discontinued service for the remainder of the day,” Randy Grove of Paratransit Services, which operates Lake Transit, told Lake County News just before 9 a.m.
Grove said the shutdown was happening as soon as possible.
He said Lake Transit buses already en route to other locations would return people home.
With the situation constantly changing, “We'll be reassessing throughout the day,” Grove said.
Additional details will be posted as they become available.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Heavy rain and winds battered Lake County overnight, with officials reporting roadway flooding and roadway hazards Thursday morning.
The California Highway Patrol and area officials reported a number of incidents around the county on Thursday that were making roadway conditions unsafe.
The CHP said that Soda Bay Road at Big Valley Road, Highway 29 at Highland Springs Road, the Adobe Creek crossing, Highway 20 at Old Long Valley Road and Highway 29 at Manning Flats were closed due to flooding or roadway hazards, with Highway 175 at Highway 101 in Hopland also closed.
The Lakeport Police Department reported that Bevins Street from Lakeport Boulevard to Bevins Court, Martin Street from S. Russell Street to Forbes Street, 10th Street, 16th Street at Hartley, 16th Street between Hartley and N. High Street, Lange Street at Giselman Street, N. Forbes to Manzanita, N. Forbes at 10th Street, N. Forbes at Sixth Street and 10th Street at Main were closed due to flooding.
Also near Lakeport, water was reported to be flowing onto the roadway at the fog line at Lakeshore Boulevard and Park Way, and roadway flooding also was reported at Highway 175 and Mathews Road and in the 3400 and 3500 blocks of Ackley Road, according to the CHP.
Other areas affected included the Glasgow Grade portion of Highway 29 near Lower Lake, where a 2-foot mudslide was reported across the roadway at mile post marker 25.54, the CHP reported.
Four to 5 inches of water was reported to be across both lanes of the roadway between 16516 and 17039 Morgan Valley Road near Lower Lake, the CHP reported.
The CHP reported a downed tree also was blocking the roadway between Hill and Hartley roads near Lakeport.
In the Kelseyville area, Big Valley Road at Highway 281 was closed temporarily to assess its condition due to a traffic hazard, the CHP said.
Flooding also was occurring at Highway 175 and Highway 281 near Kelseyville, with road hazards – including debris, small landslides and rocks – reported in the area of Highway 281 and Rancheria Road.
The CHP said a tree was across the roadway and into phone lines on Spruce Grove Road Extension at Highway 29, just north of Noble Ranch Road.
A huge boulder was in the roadway in the area of Highway 175 and Socrates Mine Road near Middletown, according to the CHP and motorists traveling through the area, with rocks in the roadway and water running through them at Bottle Rock Road and Sulphur Creek Road.
Near Clearlake Oaks, a mudslide was reported in the area of Highway 20 and Highway 53, with roadway flooding in the area of the 3600 block of E. Highway 20, where the entire roadway was blocked and cars were reported to be stalled.
New Long Valley Road at Highway 20 east of Clearlake Oaks also was closed following reports of a mudslide, and a mudslide was reported on Highway 20 east of the Oasis, the CHP said.
The CHP also reported roadway flooding and a tree hanging over the roadway at Highway 175 and Soda Bay Road.
Two feet of water – along with logs – was across both lanes Highway 175 near Anderson Springs Road on Cobb, the CHP said.
Shortly after 8 a.m. Lake County Fire Protection District put out a call to all of its personnel at stations 65 and 70 to report due to weather conditions.
At around 8:30 a.m., Northshore Fire Protection District firefighters reported that 2 inches of water was flowing across Highway 20 just west of Foothill Drive in Lucerne. Flares were being put down to slow traffic.
The county of Lake urged area residents to call 707-263-2360 for a recording of updated information regarding the storm and the Lake Office of Emergency Services.
Additional details will be posted as they become available.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – As a result of weather conditions, the majority of Lake County schools will be closed on Thursday.
Officials said heavy rain and wind, and partial road closures led to the closure decisions.
Schools in the Kelseyville, Konocti, Lakeport, Middletown, Upper Lake Elementary and Upper Lake High School school districts will be closed, as will the Lake County Office of Education's Hance and Creativity schools, according to a report from Rob Young of the Lake County Office of Education.
Young said the Lucerne Elementary District will go forward with classes on Thursday.
Lake County International Charter School had announced late Wednesday that they planned to have a storm day on Thursday.