Trapped in Tuolumne: Walls of snow along Highway 108 bury driveways, trap some in homes for weeks
TUOLUMNE COUNTY -- Back-to-back winter storms in the region have left some people stranded in their homes. One Tuolumne County neighbor, whose home is right along Highway 108 in Sierra Village, reached out to CBS13 for help after being stuck in his house for two weeks.
Jeff Pena said the snow piles outside his home have created a wall of snow and ice several feet high, completely burying his driveway.
He has no access in or out. CBS13 attempted to reach Pena's home on foot, but the snow was too deep. We spoke with him by phone from the highway right outside his driveway.
"I feel very trapped back here. And I just don't know what else to do," he said.
He has health and mobility issues and can only walk a few steps at a time, let alone plow through feet of snow.
"I'm starting to run out of food. Most of the basics I am out of and I can't get out to get food and no one can get in to bring me food. It's scary," said Pena.
CBS13 reached out to Caltrans Tuesday about the walls of snow left behind by plows.
A spokesperson with the agency said Caltrans is responsible for clearing the highways of snow, but homeowners are responsible for their own driveways.
"If their driveway connects directly to the state highway system, it is their responsibility to clear a berm blocking their entrance to the highway. We try to avoid as best as possible pushing snow onto private property but with the amount this season, I'm sure that's been a challenge," a Caltrans spokesperson told CBS13.
"It's a lot of work that they have to do and I appreciate the fact they keep the roads open. But the only thing it's good for me is I'm stuck and everybody gets to come up the mountain and have fun," said Pena.
Less than a mile down the road from his home is Auto Discount Repair, a shop that runs snow removal at businesses and private homes for more than a hundred clients this time of year.
"This is probably the worst I've seen in 20 years," said the shop's owner Fred Guthmiller.
The back-to-back barrage of storms this season has left his company booked solid.
"So I guess you've seen a lot of people stuck?" asked reporter Ashley Sharp.
"Oh yeah," said Guthmiller. "More than usual."
When our crew told Guthmiller about Pena being stuck just a short drive down the road, he took matters into his own hands and took his tractor to the snow wall.
In an act of kindness, Guthmiller plowed the buried driveway in the dark Tuesday night, for free.
It clears the way for Pena to now get the help he needs, and hopefully, a restock of supplies delivered soon.
"We try to take care of each other. And that's all we can do," said Guthmiller.
Pena was extremely grateful to get a second call from CBS13 Tuesday night with the news that his driveway was getting cleared after two weeks trapped.
He says with another storm on the way, a big concern is not just what's happening on the roads, but that he and his neighbors might lose power. He plans to do what he can ahead of time to prepare in case he gets stuck in his home once again.