How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
News
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News reports
On Monday, Sheriff Rob Howe declared a local emergency due to impacts from the winter storms, including excessive rainfall, high winds and snow, resulting in downed trees and power lines, flooding, and other serious damage across Lake County.
OES said fire, Public Works and utility crews are hard at work clearing roads, assessing and prioritizing repairs and restoring or maintaining utilities.
Lake County residents are urged to refrain from unnecessary travel. Treat all downed lines as live and report emergencies. Check in on neighbors or family, especially those without power or who may not have access to the internet and/or phone.
Sheriff’s OES continues to monitor the weather and coordinate with responders across the county. Your help with the steps above will help everyone stay safe and fire, Public Works and utility crews can prioritize restoration or clearing incidents.
Damaged residential and commercial primary structures
Lake County residents and business owners who have sustained damage to their primary structures are encouraged to participate in a damage assessment.
This damage assessment is needed to identify potential pathways for assistance from the state of California and/or federal government.
If your home or business sustained moderate to major damage, please report damages by visiting https://lakesheriff.com/1448/Response or call the Community Development Department at 707-263-2221 during regular business hours.
This is not an application for assistance, and it is possible that no assistance will become available. The information gathered may also be used for various post-incident reports and future emergency planning.
Staying prepared and safe travel
Lake County OES pinned a post with important links to help you stay informed on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/lakecountyoes.
Additional winter weather systems may impact Lake County before winter turns to spring, residents are encouraged to stay prepared.
Steps may include:
• Maintain at least a half tank of gas at all times;
• Maintain drinking water, non-perishable food items and medications on hand;
• Keep phones and other electronic devices charged;
• Keep cash on hand, as electronic payment systems may go down; and,
• Ensure drainage systems on your property are free of debris.
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News reports
Registrar Maria Valadez’s office said that for the primary, all registered voters will be mailed a vote-by-mail ballot.
Mailing of vote-by-mail ballots began Monday, Feb. 5. Supplemental mailings will follow for newly registered or re-registered voters.
Make sure your voter registration information is up to date.
To ensure there are no delays in receiving your ballot in the mail, verify that the Registrar of Voters Office has your most up-to-date voter information. Visit https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/ or call 707-263-2372 to verify both your residential and mailing address.
Is everything correct? If not, you can update your registration by re-registering to vote at https://registertovote.ca.gov/ or by calling 707-263-2372 and requesting a voter registration form be mailed to you.
Return your vote-by-mail ballot
The elections office encourages people to vote safely at home, and return your vote-by-mail ballot in one of the following ways:
• Mail your ballot on or before Election Day — no postage required.
• At any official ballot drop box location. Visit the following website at https://caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov/ or call 707-263-2372 for locations.
• Lake County Registrar of Voters Office or at any polling place location within the state of California.
Track your vote-by-mail ballot
Receive your personalized text message, emails or voice mails letting you know when your ballot is mailed, received, and counted by the Registrar of Voters by subscribing to https://wheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov.
In-person voting
There will be 20 polling place locations on Election Day. Polling place locations will be staffed for voters to drop off voted ballots or to be issued a replacement ballot from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
To vote in-person at your assigned polling place site on Election Day (please call the Registrar of Voters Office for instructions). You will be required to vote a provisional ballot if you are unable to surrender your vote-by-mail ballot.
For additional information phone 707-263-2372 or toll-free at 888-235-6730.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The declaration by Howe, who also serves as Lake County’s director of the Office of Emergency Services, states the existence of a local emergency resulting from “conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property” that have arisen from winter storms that brought “excessive rainfall, high winds and snow, resulting in downed trees and power lines, flooding and other serious damage across the county to public infrastructure and residential properties.”
The document also notes that the conditions brought on by the storms “may extend beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment and facilities of Lake County.”
The declaration said the storms in question began on Jan. 31.
Those atmospheric river storms hit their peak on Sunday, when a pineapple express storm from the tropical Pacific pummeled Lake County with high winds and several inches of rain that, combined, resulted in countless reports of downed trees and power lines, blocked roads and power outages.
On Monday morning, even as a break in the rain arrived, the reports of downed trees, power and utility lines kept coming due to the heavily saturated soils and high water around the county.
At that point, the California HIghway Patrol reported that numerous roads remained closed due to flooding, rock and mudslides, fallen trees and downed poles.
Pacific Gas and Electric on Monday also was continuing to work to restore customers in dozens of outages across Lake County.
Emergency declarations like those Howe issued Monday are a necessary step in order for the county to receive state and federal disaster funding and assistance.
Such declarations need to be ratified within a week by the Board of Supervisors. If they’re not confirmed and ratified within seven days, they expire.
The board is scheduled to have its regular meeting on Tuesday morning.
At that time it will also consider, as part of its consent agenda, continuing a local emergency declaration Howe issued due to the snow event that hit in late February 2023 and a May 2021 emergency proclamation issued by his predecessor, Sheriff Brian Martin, due to drought conditions.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — After a day of battering rains and winds on Sunday, Lake County is forecast to receive more rainfall this week.
The atmospheric river that drove the storm on Sunday dumped significant rainfall across Lake County, as well as snow in some areas.
Rainfall totals in inches for the 24-hour period ending at 2:30 a.m. Monday were reported by the following National Weather Services observation stations:
— Hidden Valley Lake: 3.47.
— Indian Valley Reservoir: 2.62.
— Kelseyville: 2.70.
— Knoxville Creek: 2.76.
— Lake Pillsbury: 1.30.
— Lower Lake: 4.29.
— Lyons Valley: 1.59.
— Whispering Pines: 3.56.
Flood watches and advisories and a high wind warning for Lake County were extended by the National Weather Service into early Monday.
Heavy winds, combined with the rain, continued to knock down trees and power lines throughout Sunday evening and night.
There were numerous power outages that remained unresolved through the night throughout hte county.
The National Weather Service’s forecast expects rain for the rest of the week, with a break in the weather to arrive with sunny skies on Sunday.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
