Placer County and the American Red Cross will open a second overnight shelter tonight for residents who need a warm place to stay because of storm-related power outages. There are numerous areas in the unincorporated county area where power is not expected to be restored until later this week. In addition, Placer County is proclaiming a local disaster.
The second shelter is scheduled to open at 5 p.m. in the Sierra Building at the Gold Country Fairgrounds in Auburn, 1273 High Street, Auburn.
On Saturday, the County Office of Emergency Services, Red Cross and Foresthill Disaster Assistance Team opened a shelter at the Foresthill Veterans Memorial Hall, 24601 Harrison Road in Foresthill. Six people stayed at the Foresthill shelter Saturday night and at least 10 are expected Sunday night.
The Auburn shelter will be operated by the Red Cross, Office of Emergency Services and county Health and Human Services Department.
Both shelters will remain open 24 hours a day as long as needed.
“PG&E is working as fast as it can to restore power throughout its service area, but some areas may be without power for three or four more days,” said Program Manager Rui Cunha of the Office of Emergency Services. “We want to make sure residents who remain without power have a warm place to stay if they need one.”
PG&E estimated Sunday afternoon that about 10,000 customers in Placer County remain without power. At the height of the storm, there were 40,000 customers without power in the county.
Showers will be available at the Auburn shelter.
At both shelters, people should bring any prescription medications they need and other necessary personal items.
Water and snacks are available.
Residents can bring small pets with them to the shelters. The Placer County Animal Services Division will transport the pets to its shelter in Auburn and care for them there.
For more information, call the Office of Emergency Services at 530-886-5310.
The Proclamation of Local Disaster is due to extensive property damage, extended power outages and increasing costs to public entities. There are reports of 30 houses and businesses that have sustained major damage due to the storms.