LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Board of Supervisors will convene a special meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 26, to confirm the existence of a local emergency for Lake County due to the severe wind event that occurred on Thursday and Friday.

The meeting will convene at 9 a.m. in the board chambers at the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St. in Lakeport.

They were not originally scheduled to meet on Nov. 26 due to the holidays.

On Friday afternoon, County Administrative Officer Matt Perry, acting as director of Lake County Office of Emergency Services, proclaimed the existence of a local emergency in Lake County.

This proclamation will allow county departments to expedite the procurement process to purchase supplies and hire outside contractors to help address the county’s responsibilities in the recovery process from the devastating high winds.

“We are all shocked by the amount of damage this wind storm did to the county, particularly in the North Shore area,” said District 3 Supervisor Denise Rushing. “We’ve got a lot of people working hard to ensure the safety of our citizens and get things back to normal.”

Numerous county department heads and their staff have been working nonstop since Thursday afternoon to keep basic services up and running for county residents.

First responders have been controlling numerous fires throughout the county caused by downed power lines.

PG&E has an incident command team dedicated to Lake County, and they hope to have power restored to Lake County by midday Saturday, Nov. 23.

It appears that Upper Lake, Nice, and Lucerne are the hardest hit areas of the county, officials reported.

Residents are reminded that it is best practice to hire licensed contractors for their repair work. Information on cleanup will be provided soon.

County officials are working out the most expedient and efficient way to facilitate the clean up process, and guide residents to best practices.