Update: Tuolumne County Closes Shelter As Power Restored
Update at 1:25 p.m.: The Office of Emergency Services shelter at the Tuolumne County Enrichment Center, located at 101 Hospital Road in Sonora, which opened last night in the aftermath of the low snow and power outages, will close this afternoon. Tuolumne County Office of Emergency Services Assistant Director Dore Bitz advised, “With many of the residents’ power restored and estimation of the remainder this afternoon, Redcross will be closing the shelter at the Enrichment Center today at 2 p.m.”
Original post written by Nic Peterson at 5 p.m. 4-5-24: Sonora, CA– Tuolumne County residents are facing extended power outages in the aftermath of an unusual winter storm that brought snow to lower elevations. The picture in the image box of this story contains one example of the damage caused by the storm, knocking a tree over and disrupting power lines at close to 6 am on April 5th. Despite not meeting extreme temperature thresholds, the storm has impacted Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s (PGE) infrastructure in the region. In response, the County Office of Emergency Services (OES) has collaborated with the Red Cross to establish a shelter for affected residents at the Tuolumne County Enrichment Center.
The shelter, located at 101 Hospital Rd. in Sonora, will open its doors starting Friday, April 5th, at 6:00 pm and will operate for 24 hours. County officials will reassess the need for extended hours tomorrow. In addition to the shelter, several County facilities will remain open during normal operating hours on Saturday, April 6th, providing residents with access to essential services:
- Tuolumne County Main Library at 480 Greenley Road, Sonora, CA 95370 (Open Saturday: 10 am-6 pm)
- Tuolumne Branch Library at 18636 Main Street, Tuolumne, CA 95379 (Open Saturday: 10 am-2 pm)
- Twain Harte Branch Library at 18701 Tiffeni Drive #F1, Twain Harte, CA 95383 (Open Saturday: 10 am-2 pm)
- Groveland Branch Library at 18990 Highway 120, Groveland, CA 95321 (Open Saturday: 10 am-2 pm)