More winter storms predicted to strike
| Tuesday, Dec 08 2009 07:32 PM
Last Updated Tuesday, Dec 08 2009 09:48 PM
Stay safe
* CHP advise travelers to leave early, slow down, increase the following distance between cars and keep car lights turned on. Also, carry emergency supplies such as food, water and blankets. And be patient with the traffic.
* Officials at the Frazier Park substation of the Kern County Sheriff's Department issued a reminder Tuesday about visiting snow-covered areas. The department said there are limited snow areas in the mountain communities that are open to the public. People are reminded to follow parking laws and not trespass.
"Trespassers and litterers may be cited or arrested and illegally parked vehicles may be cited or towed," the sheriff's release said. "We understand the desire to play in the snow, but private property rights must be observed. Deputies and CHP Officers will be working diligently to ensure everyone has a safe, legal and fun experience enjoying the snow this year."
Images
Henry A. Barrios / The Californian Captain Mark Phillips, left, and engineer Greg Zwierzchcwski spread out salt to keep their driveway at Kern County fire station 57 clear from ice as snow falls at mid afternoon Monday in Frazier Park.
The first winter storm snow flurries and cold weather created challenges Monday and Tuesday for businesses and travelers along Interstate 5 and Highway 58.
"We booked up in 45 minutes. There were a lot of people who slept in their cars because they couldn't get a room," said Alvira Martinez, a receptionist at the Best Western Liberty Inn at the base of the Grapevine.
Sales for the Best Western dramatically increased. Checkout for the hotel is 11 a.m., and even though the roads reopened, some customers chose to pay for another night's stay.
One of the restaurants along the I-5 received more business than usual because travelers were stranded overnight.
"It took us an hour to get to work from Taft. When we got here this morning, we ran out of everything," said Don Perico manager Eric Marquez.
Not getting to work on time was also a problem for Dale Sheldon, who is the front desk clerk at the Econo Lodge in Gorman.
Sheldon lives in Frazier Park and was a few hours late to work because he was stuck.
"One of the managers has been stuck since (Monday) at 7 a.m. I was able to come in at 10 a.m. so she could sleep," Sheldon said about assistant manager Cathy Warren, who will be stuck at the hotel until Wednesday morning because she had to work a shift Tuesday evening.
Sheldon said he studies history and discovered there has been lodging since the 1850s for people on top of the mountain in the exact same place where the Econo Lodge is located. In December 1970, there was a storm and 500 people were stranded and stayed in the hotel at the time.
The I-5 was closed after 5 p.m. Monday and was not reopened until around 9 a.m. Tuesday with escorts. Then around 11:30 a.m., the CHP allowed travelers to drive freely, said Bakersfield CHP Officer Shane Holtschulte.
Tejon CHP Officer Patrick Etchebarne said that groups of 500 to 700 cars were escorted at speeds of 30 to 40 mph when the lanes first reopened. The reason for escorts is to crunch the ice on the roads, which melts it faster to move traffic along.
During the day there were no reports of accidents on I-5 near the Grapevine because the snow dried up quickly after CalTrans put sand down to melt the snow on the side of the road, said Tejon CHP Officer Ruben Soliz.
The snow on Highway 58 melted and there were no reports of weather-related accidents, said Mojave CHP Officer Roberta Record.
The National Weather Service in Hanford predicted two more winter storms are on the way. Gary Sanger predicts a storm will hit Kern Country on Thursday and will last until Friday. A second storm is predicted to hit Saturday evening and continue until Sunday.
"We advise people to check the current weather conditions before traveling. Also, carry chains in case the CHP imposes a chain restriction for travelers," Sanger said.
