As storms roll through region, Alta Sierra community remembers last year's "snowmageddon"
ALTA SIERRA — The incoming string of storms comes nearly a year after the "snowmageddon" that left foothill communities powerless for weeks.
The Nevada County community of Alta Sierra was one of the hardest hit communities in last December's storms, and in some cases, people are just now recovering.
Jacoby Waters lives on Alta Sierra Drive and said it took his household months to get up and running.
"We were out of power for probably a couple months," Waters said. "And then it took us another couple months to get some internet or anything around here."
Waters now has his holiday decorations up on his home and is hoping there is no grinch-like repeat after the massive snowstorm that crippled this community last December.
"It's something we've never had before here," Waters said.
After the "snowmageddon," the Alta Sierra community was left with dozens of trees fallen into homes, power lines down, and no running water.
It was a nightmare scenario for homeowners that in some cases still continues.
"It took some time to get back to where we can kind of live and be regular," Waters said.
Waters has now installed solar panels and plans to store his own solar power in batteries to be more self-reliant if PG&E goes down again.
Mark Adams owns a heating and air conditioning business in Alta Sierra. His customers are seeking more precautions for when extreme weather is on the way.
"It's all about keeping power in the house," Adams said.
He recalls last December's storm as the worst he's ever seen.
"It was the only time we ever felt trapped," Adams said. "Where we really didn't know if we were going to be able to get out and do anything or go anywhere."
After snowmageddon, Alta Sierra is on alert.
"I'm always on weather, always checking," Waters said. "I want to see how low the snow is going to go."
Alta Sierra sits at about the 2,000-foot elevation level and people who live there say it gets colder than other communities in the region, leading it to have a more likely chance for low snow during storms.