Emergency operations in place as South Lake Tahoe becomes a snowed in "island"

UPDATE 1/1/22: The City of South Lake Tahoe deactivated its Emergency Operations Center today at 8:00 a.m.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The standstill traffic situation on all roads leading to and from South Lake Tahoe Tuesday made headlines and prompted one governor to declare a State of Emergency.

Vehicles crept along the 72 miles from Spooner Summit on US-50 to Placerville on US-50, barely moving at times as massive numbers of people tried to navigate the Sierra when I-80 closed and US-50 reopened.

"It was a perfect storm," said South Lake Tahoe Fire Chief Clive Savacool of the situation that created the traffic jam in the city. "We were essentially like the San Francisco Bay Bridge and South Lake Tahoe was the only path to get to a destination."

I-80 remaining closed when US-50 reopened caused all vehicles normally using the interstate to move to US-50 and go over Spooner from the east, and through Placerville and Echo Summit from the west.

The City of South Lake Tahoe announced Tuesday their Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was open, but what many didn't know is that the EOC had been open since early Sunday morning. It started with Savacool and City Manager Joe Irvin discussing the potential of the storm and closure of US-50.

Savacool and Irvin created a virtual EOC and the lines of communication opened as they reached out to all agency partners, grocery stores, and gasoline stations to make sure supplies were available for residents, and called motels to check on room availability. El Dorado County opened its EOC at the same time.

"The County's concern was that South Lake Tahoe would become an island with a lot of people trying to get in, and out," said Savacool.

The County and City worked in sync with Caltrans to keep South Lake Tahoe residents safe during the storm.

Once US-50 reopened and I-80 remained closed, everybody tried to get through South Lake Tahoe to their destination and the City and County couldn't stop the flow on a highway they have no jurisdiction over. Even though the City and County have no authority to block people and shut down highways, they wanted to make sure Caltrans and the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) knew their concerns.

Just as the EOC worked during the Tamarack and Caldor fires, there are different levels of emergency activations, and the December 26 opening of the EOC worked in much the same way.

Those in charge of the EOCs saw the Christmas storm was getting worse and the potential of people without a place to stay, or no supplies, and planning needed to start right away.

With US-50 closed, Savacool said he and his staff counted 14 cars with people inside camped out in gas station parking lots in Meyers. They checked on everyone to make sure all were okay and had a list of lodging accommodations if they needed a place to stay.

What happened Tuesday after the highway reopened put all plans into action. There was concern that the City would need to accommodate all the people in town should they not be able to get out in sub-freezing temperatures.

"People saw US-50 as the one route out, but throw in a storm, a jackknifed truck and South Lake Tahoe became a parking lot," said Savacool.

The EOC was concerned with how much fuel was available and how many electric vehicle charging stations were available.

"We had to make sure supplies were available for tens of thousands of people so there were contingency plans for a parking lot overnight," said Savacool. They set up preparations in case a warming shelter was needed if all the lodging properties were full and dug out the Red Cross trailer in case it'd be utilized.

Savacoll wants the public to know they were not passive about the situation and had been working on this.

"Even with some things out of our control we wanted to have a voice," said Savacool as they worked with Caltrans, who he said have been very receptive.

As an EOC they checked with all stakeholders in the community, asking what needs and concerns were in the situation, and how they could all continue to provide services. On Tuesday, fire and police staff were able to shuttle Barton Health staff so they could get to work.

"They are the lifeblood of our community and take care of our health, and yesterday was no different," said Savacool.

The EOC works with everyone on both sides of the state line. Just as they did with the Caldor Fire and made evacuation plans for the week leading up to the actual event. Savacool said they've been in touch with Douglas County Sheriff, Tahoe Douglas Fire, and NDOT on the Nevada side, and CHP and El Dorado County Sheriff along with Caltrans on the California side.

Even as the current situation eases, the EOC will stay open due to the volume of travelers expected for the New Year's holiday. This keeps all local department heads available, addressing issues, and staying aware of what's going on with all staff focused on the situation.

The City road crews will continue to plow and widen streets.

"They have done an amazing job plowing," said Savacool. Vehicles parked or stuff on city streets continue to hamper operations but law enforcement is working on ticketing and towing so roads can be cleared. The snowplow crew is fully staffed and working on the record December snowfall.

After Governor Sisolak's emergency order Tuesday night, US-50 over Spooner is reopened to traffic in both directions but not advised for non-essential traffic. The State of Emergency was in place when the 30+ miles of Nevada roadways were at a dead-stop. It allowed drivers to return to safety and by midnight the existing traffic jam was over, allowing maintenance staff to get the roads plowed and treated.

The major concern Tuesday was that drivers would not have a place to stay if needed, and those coming in today should have accommodations.

"We are addressing issues, aware of what's going on, and staff is all focused on this," said Savacool.

As of Wednesday, December 29, Savacool said they have checked with all local stores and most were able to get trucks in Tuesday night so they can start restocking shelves. The City is working with CHP to get gasoline trucks escorted up US-50 to refill stations in South Lake Tahoe and Meyers.