LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – You have to love all the rain we’ve been getting! But how do you stargaze with so many cloudy nights in December?

Simple – use your computer!

There are some great astronomy Web sites you can visit, as well as free software you can download into your computer. We’ll explore some of these in this month’s column.

Astronomy Web sites:

– Astronomy Picture of the Day, http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ . This site displays a new picture every day of an astronomical object.

– Black Holes, http://hubblesite.org/explore_astronomy/black_holes/home.html . On this site you can learn about black holes, as well as how objects appear in different wavelengths (x-ray, visible light and radio waves).

– ISS 3d Visualization, http://www.heavens-above.com/ISS_3D.aspx . This is a remarkable simulation of a view of Earth from the International Space Station (ISS).

– Sky Map, http://www.sky-map.org/ . An online star map is featured here. You can zoom in to specific objects to learn more about them.

Free astronomy software:

– Stellarium, http://www.stellarium.org/ . This is planetarium software that renders beautiful views of the night sky.

– Sky Charts (Cartes Du Ciel), http://sourceforge.net/projects/skychart/ . Sky Charts lets you create and print star charts for observing sessions. This software is used to create the star charts in this column.

In addition to Web sites and software on your computer, our local observatory is another resource for cloudy night stargazing.

During December, Taylor Observatory in Kelseyville is showing the 30-minute movie, “The Mystery of The Christmas Star” in the planetarium. Showtimes are 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. every Friday and Saturday night through Jan. 3.

Visit http://www.friendsoftaylor.org/christmasstar.html for more information.

Finally, for those nights that are clear, our December star map will guide you as to what can be seen.

John Zimmerman is a resident of Lake County and has been an amateur astronomer for more than 50 years. For more information about Astronomy and local resources, visit his Web site at www.lakecountyskies.com .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With winter soon to arrive, the California Highway Patrol reminds motorists of the dangers of driving during inclement weather and has a few tips of how to stay safe while traveling.       

Many crashes result from driving too fast, so the first and foremost tip is to slow down, the agency said.

It’s a simple matter of physics that your vehicle can’t stop as fast or turn as accurately on wet or icy pavement.

Be prepared for potential inclement weather by leaving early, allowing plenty of time to get where you’re going.

Nobody likes a tailgater. Always leave ample distance between your vehicle and the one ahead.

By utilizing the three second rule you can avoid hard braking by giving yourself more time to slow.

The three second rule is as follows: While traveling behind another vehicle, at the same rate of speed, when the vehicle passes a stationary object – i.e., a light pole, parked vehicle or pavement markings – count one one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand.

If you pass the same object prior to counting to three one thousand, you are following too close and should increase your following distance.  

Vehicle maintenance also is important. Do your tires have tread? Does your defroster work? Is there antifreeze in your radiator? Are your windshield wipers in good working order? Is the windshield washer fluid full and does it spray appropriately onto your windshield? Do your headlights work?

And don’t forget the law requires you to have your headlights on anytime the windshield wipers are operating continuously.

Remember – slow down, stay alert and stay in control.

Further winter driving tips are available on at www.chp.ca.gov . 

You also can check road conditions before heading out by calling 800-427-7623.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – While on Friday the final leg of the big winter storm is set to arrive, forecasters are predicting far less rain than was seen around Lake County on Thursday.

The National Weather Service's flood warning for the county – where widespread flooding did occur on Thursday due to heavy rains – was set to expire at 1:15 a.m. Friday, while a flood watch will remain in effect until 10 p.m. Friday.

Twenty-four hour rainfall totals through 5 p.m. Thursday ranged from 0.54 of an inch at Hough Springs to just over 5 inches in Lakeport, 5.73 inches near Lower Lake, 6.7 inches at Hidden Valley Lake and 9.85 inches at Boggs Mountain, according to the National Weather Service.

The agency also reported that wind gusts in the county for the period ending at noon on Thursday ranged between 24 miles per hour near Hidden Valley Lake and up to 73 miles per hour at the High Glad Lookout above Upper Lake.

The National Weather Service's updated forecast expect more showers on Friday and into the night, with a possibility of thunderstorms after 4 p.m.

Rainfall totals around the county are anticipated to range from a tenth to a quarter of an inch, with some light winds, the forecast said.

Forecasters said rainfall totals could be higher if thunderstorms occur.

The rainfall continued to benefit Clear Lake's level, which was just under 1.0 foot Rumsey late Thursday, placing it at nearly twice the level it was on Dec. 11 of 2013, according to US Geological Survey and county records.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Because the person who supplied the largest and most auspicious donation to the Spirit of the Season program in South Lake County requested anonymity, he or she shall remain nameless.

The donor is providing 102 turkeys for the event, which culminates next Saturday at First Baptist Church in Middletown.

Along with other holiday victuals, 102 boxes – each containing more than $100 worth of food – will be given away to feed more than 300 clients.

The turkeys, it is estimated, will cost the anonymous giver $1,500 to $2,000.

All of the food is purchased, not donated.

While delighted by the anonymous gift, Hedy Montoya, who has administered Spirit of the Season for the past dozen years, is no less grateful for the aid volunteers and annual donors who, to her, are anything but anonymous.

“I couldn’t do this without volunteers,” said Montoya. “The women who are standing over my shoulder have been doing this work as long as I have … Carolyn Tobin, Rosemary Pott, Kathleen and Kelly Connors, Phyllis Kelsey and Bonnie Thompson.

“They have been doing incredible behind-the-scenes work,” she said.

This year, Frank Parker – president of United Veterans Council of Lake County – and local veterans are coming to assist as they do every year. “They do the heavy schlepping, as does my husband Bryan Ridste,” Montoya said.

Regarding the donors who give annually, Montoya added: “If they didn’t we would not be sitting here talking.”

For the lion’s share of its more than 20-year existence, the highlight of the Spirit of the Season activity has been the gifts of toys made possible by wish trees at several locations in Middletown, Cobb Mountain and Hidden Valley Lake, but principally at Hardester’s Markets in Middletown and Hidden Valley.

“What we ask community members to do is pick up a card from one of the wish trees, buy a present for a child for $25 or less and return it by Tuesday, Dec. 16,” said Montoya. “Each card has three different wishes. After buying their gift, people should take it to Hardester’s where our people will go pick it up.”

But Montoya was concerned this week that there were still several cards on the wish trees. Donors can send their donations to Spirit of the Season, P.O. Box 1468, Middletown. Questions can be directed to Montoya at 707-322-5080.

“It is a tax-deductible donation because we partner with St. Joseph’s Catholic Church,” said Montoya.

The program benefits more than just families and small children. Teenagers get a $25 gift certificate.

Twenty percent of the clients are seniors, receiving no more than $600 monthly Social Security allowances. Some are field laborers.

Montoya remembers a couple of cases where a teenager who was helped by the program returned years later with children of their own.

“It’s a grassroots thing. Everybody’s a volunteer,” she said. “Donations come from community service groups.”

How does a person get so devoted to a program such as Spirit of the Season?

Montoya recalled a rainy day when a woman, her little girl in tow, came in for her food package.

The little girl was joyous when she received a tricycle. Her mother had tears in her eyes.

Need Hedy say more?

Email John Lindblom at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

December has arrived, and for backyard sky watchers that means one thing: It is time for the annual Geminid meteor shower.

Every year in early December, Earth passes through a stream of gravelly, dusty debris from “rock comet” 3200 Phaethon. This causes a meteor shower that sometimes lasts more than two weeks.

“This year's Geminid meteor shower will peak on Dec. 13 and 14 with as many as 120 meteors per hour,” predicted Bill Cooke, head of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office. “I'm looking forward to a good display.”

Everyone has heard of “comets” – icy visitors from the outer solar system that sprout long tails of gas and dust when they come close to the sun. But what is a rock comet?

A “rock comet” is a new kind of object being discussed by astronomers.

It is, essentially, an asteroid that comes very close to the sun – so close that solar heating scorches dusty debris right off its rocky surface. Rock comets could thus grow comet-like tails that produce meteor showers on Earth.

The source of the Geminid meteor shower, 3200 Phaethon, looks a lot like an asteroid. Indeed, it comes from the asteroid belt and its colors resemble the colors of other asteroids in the rocky zone between Mars and Jupiter.

Yet 3200 Phaethon has an unusual orbit that brings it deep inside the orbit of Mercury. When this happens, it brightens and sprouts a little tail in mimicry of a comet.

A team of astronomers led by Dave Jewitt of UCLA have been monitoring 3200 Phaethon using NASA's twin STEREO probes.

They think that intense solar heating blasts the asteroid's rocky surface, causing 3200 Phaethon to shed meteoroids like embers spitting off a log in a roaring campfire.

The debris stream of 3200 Phaethon is broad and massive. “Of all the debris streams Earth passes through every year, the Geminids' is by far the most massive,” said Cooke. “When we add up the amount of dust in the Geminid stream, it outweighs other streams by factors of five to 500.”

Geminid meteoroids fly out of – you guessed it – the constellation Gemini.

They hit the top of Earth's atmosphere traveling about 78,000 miles per hour. That may sound fast, but it is actually somewhat slow compared to other meteor showers. Geminid meteors tend to be leisurely and bright, producing many fireballs on the nights around the shower's peak.

The best time to look, advises Cooke, is probably between local midnight and sunrise on Saturday, Dec. 13, and again at the same time on Sunday, Dec. 14, when the constellation Gemini is high overhead, spitting bright embers of a rock comet across a sparkling starry sky.

On Dec. 13, Cooke and a team of astronomers from Marshall Space Flight Center will host an overnight NASA web chat from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. CST, answering questions about the Geminid meteor shower.

To join the webchat on Dec. 13, log into the chat page at http://www.nasa.gov/connect/chat/geminids_2014.html .

Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake Transit Authority's buses will be back on the county's roads on Friday, after transit officials on Thursday morning temporarily closed down the service because of safety concerns related to storm conditions.

Wanda Gray, regional manager for Paratransit Services – the Bremerton, Wash.-based company that holds the Lake Transit contract – said they plan to assess the situation starting at about 3:30 a.m. Friday.

After they check conditions and any major road closures, Gray said buses will be rolling out onto their routes, with the first bus scheduled to leave the yard at 5 a.m.

Despite predictions of heavy rain on Thursday, the transit authority had planned to move forward with normal operations.

“We were trying to do what the school system was doing,” said Gray. “They took a wait and see approach and so did we.”

By early morning, most of the county's schools had declared a storm day. The buses were attempting to continue on, but not for long.

The flooded roadways were a factor in the Thursday service suspension, but more of an issue, said Gray, were the resulting road closures.

Buses heading to the Lakeport area were turned around by law enforcement at Highland Springs and Highway 29, she said.

Vehicles also had been backed up at Kit's Corner and on Seigler Canyon Road, she said.

“It was just kind of happening all at once” – with one closure after another, and the situation changing rapidly, Gray said.

“Nobody was getting anywhere,” she added.

One of Lake Transit's major routes follows Olympic Drive and Burns Valley Road through Clearlake, where flood waters were about 2 feet deep, Gray said.

Gray said it was safer for people to stay home – both riders and drivers alike. In the case of employees, they live all over the county, and Gray said there were concerns about them being able to get home safely themselves.

At around 9:45 a.m. Thursday, the decision was made to have buses return to the bus barn in Lower Lake and to return riders home or to their closest bus stop, Gray said.

Dial-a-ride and health services patients also had to be rescheduled, but Gray said most of them were calling and saying, “I'm not going out in that,” referring to the weather.

“The phones were really, really busy this morning,” she said.

As buses were returning and workers being sent home, Gray said the Lake County Fire Protection District contacted Lake Transit at about 10:30 a.m. to ask them to be on call in case they were needed to help evacuate a nursing home in the city's Village area.

High waters were threatening that neighborhood, where officials reported about 100 residents would be evacuated to a shelter set up at Lower Lake High School.

Gray said Lake Transit drivers who live in the Clearlake area were put on call in case they were needed. However, as it turned out, they were not called upon.

While Lake Transit personnel were sent home, Gray remained at the Lower Lake facility, where the flood waters edged closer to the bus barn throughout the day, but finally began to recede at around 3:30 p.m.

She was remaining in Clearlake overnight in case the situation worsened.

Gray said she was impressed with the response of local agencies to the storm, noting they quickly had signs up and dealt with road and other hazards.

For more about Lake Transit visit http://laketransit.org/ .

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Five high schools, five youth-oriented programs and 13 other nonprofit organizations will share the $96,500 raised this year from September's Lake County Wine Auction.

The funds were distributed the evening of Dec. during a festive reception for beneficiaries and sponsors at the Lakeport Family Fun Center.

Once again, education was the emphasis.

“Our commitment to this critical area will ensure that Lake County grows as a strong and healthy community for the next generation.” said Kaj Ahlmann, president of the Lake County Wine Alliance.

The Wine Alliance is a nonprofit organization of wineries, winegrape growers, vineyard owners, related businesses and community supporters and sponsor of the Wine Auction.

Since its founding in 2000, the Wine Alliance has raised $1,177,802 to foster the arts, benefit health services and otherwise support the Lake County community.

Applications are now being accepted for proceeds from the next year's auction, to be held on Sept. 20, 2015, with copies available at the auction's Web site, www.WineAlliance.Org .

The 2014 Auction, the 15th annual, took place at the Cole Creek Equestrian Center in Kelseyville, a special venue which contributed not only to successful fundraising but also to the promotion of Lake County as not only a premier wine region but also a community of diverse agriculture.

The honorary chairs for the 2014's Wine Auction were John and Joanne Van Eck, the owners of Cole Creek Equestrian Center. They were assisted by committee co-chairs Judy Luchsinger of Lakeport and Sharron Zoller of Kelseyville.

The success of this year's event would not have been possible without the support of valued sponsors including Beckstoffer Vineyards, Sutter Lakeside Hospital, Six Sigma Ranch and Winery, Brassfield Estate Winery, Mendo-Lake Credit Union, CalPine, Kathy Fowler Chevrolet, Umpqua Bank, Kelseyville Pharmacy, Bella Vista Farming, Southern Smiles Dental Practice, St. Helena Hospital, Shannon Ridge Winery, Trinchero Family Estates, Savings Bank of Mendocino, C-Line Trucking and The Lake County Winegrape Commission.

The Lake County Wine Alliance Board of Directors offered heartfelt thanks to everyone who made this year's success possible.

“Your support is deeply appreciated, not only by us but by our beneficiaries as well,” the group said in a statement.

The proceeds for 2014 were distributed as follows.

The Arts ($32,000)

– Lower Lake High School, $6,400;
– Kelseyville High School, $6,400;
– Upper Lake High School, $6,400;
– Clearlake High School, $6,400;
– Middletown High School, $6,400;

Health and Community ($64,500)

– United Christian Parish Food Pantry, $4,400;
– Sponsoring Survivorship, $2,200;
– Hospice Services of Lake County, $4,400;
– Yuba College Culinary Club, $2,200;
– Clear Lake Performing Arts, $2,800;
– Lower Lake High School Culinary Arts Program, $2,200;
– Lake County Church Women United Shoes and Socks Program, $2,200;
– Lake County Student Mock Trial Team, $600;
– Lake County PRIDE Foundation, $5,500;
– Lake County Channel Cats, $2,200;
– Schoolhouse Museum Student Outreach Program, $1,700;
– Lake County Literacy Coalition, $2,200;
– Operation Tango Mike, $4,000;
– Catholic Charities of Lake County, $9,300;
– Lake County Senior Center Meals on Wheels, $9,300;
– Habitat for Humanity, $9,300.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Emergency Operations Center has reopened as part of the county's ongoing response to Thursday's storm.

The center, or EOC, reopened at 7 a.m. Friday after being on “duty officer” status since 7 p.m. Thursday, according to county public information officer, Jill Ruzicka.

Students were back in school on Friday, with all Lake County schools opened, Ruzicka reported.

She said that on Friday there were no reports of Pacific Gas and Electric customers being without service. If there are power concerns, customers may call PG&E at 800-743-5000.

It was reported the city of Clearlake sustained significant and widespread damage due to flooding. City Manager Joan Phillipe declared a local emergency on Thursday, as Lake County News has reported.

The Red Cross shelter located at the Lower Lake High School gymnasium, at 9430 Lake St., is still open, one of three such shelters the Red Cross opened around the Bay Area and North Coast in response to the storm.

In the case of the Lower Lake shelter, the only shelter in Lake County, it was used to house evacuees from the Village neighborhood, where officials said about 100 residents were evacuated due to high water on Thursday.

Ruzicka said the Red Cross is actively monitoring the situation and will close the shelter when there is no longer a need for it.

The city of Lakeport did not reactivate its emergency operations center Friday, and is beginning the damage assessment process, Ruzicka said.

Jim Brown, Lake County Health Services director, reported that most storm-related impacts on the Lake County health system have been or are currently being resolved.

Ruzicka said Lampson Field airport was to reopen at noon on Friday. It was closed on Thursday due to debris on the runway from an overflowing, nearby culvert.

The storm also caused issues near the Lakeside Height subdivision in north Lakeport, where a landslide began in March 2013. Since then, several houses have been destroyed.

Lake County Public Works closed a portion of Hill Road East in front of the subdivision on Dec. 2 due to concerns that coming storms might cause the slide to come down the hill and impact the roadway.

“The slide at Lakeside Heights has overtopped the K-railing that was placed at the base of the slope and has extended out into Hill Road,” Lake County Public Works Director Scott De Leon said Friday. “Hill Road will remain closed and our emergency access detour to the hospital from Lakeshore will stay in place until further notice.”

Regarding other county roads that had flooding or damage because of the storm, Ruzicka said one that had been closed on Thursday, Eickhoff Road in Lakeport, has been reopened.

She also offered the following road conditions updates:

– High Valley Road: High Valley Road is restricted to single lane traffic at MPM 2.0 due to a washout of the roadway.
– Soda Bay Road: Soda Bay Road near Marina View Drive (Horseshoe Bend Area) had a undermining of the roadway. The area has been stabilized but the traveling public is advised to reduce speed and use extreme caution through this area.
– Hill Road: Hill Road is closed to all traffic from just north of Sutter Lakeside Hospital to Lakeshore Boulevard due to public safety concerns. Detours and signs are in place alerting the traveling public of the need to use alternative routes. Sutter Lakeside Hospital is still accessible on Hill Road East and can be accessed by taking the Park Way Exit on Highway 29 or taking Park Way from Lakeshore Boulevard.
– Ackley Road: Ackley Road is closed to all traffic from Matthews Road to Highway 29.
– Reiff Road: Reiff Road is closed to through traffic until further notice due to winter road conditions. Residents can access their properties.
– Seigler Canyon Road: Seigler Canyon Road is closed to through traffic due to flooding.
– Scotts Valley Road: Scotts Valley Road, from Highway 20 to the packing sheds is closed due to flooding.

Lake County Office of Emergency Manager Marisa Chilafoe is in the field on Friday, touring areas of damage. She also will visit the city of Clearlake Emergency Operations Center.

The next briefing at the Lake County Emergency Operations Center is scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday, Ruzicka said. A preliminary list of damage assessments will be presented.

Residents can still call 707-263-2360 for recorded information or check the new Lake County Office of Emergency Services Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-OES/307452049434603 , for updates.

In the midst of a major storm that's hitting California, Cal Fire is reminding residents to take steps to heat their homes safely.

While the cooler weather and rain is a welcomed event during a time of severe drought in California, it also means that many will need to turn on home heating sources to keep warm indoors.

Cal Fire is encouraging everyone to be safe with heating their homes, as this is the time of year fire departments across the nation see an increase in home fires due to dangerous heating equipment or unsafe practices.

Improper use or poorly maintained heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires and home fire deaths across the country.

Half of home heating equipment fires are reported during the months of December, January and February.

“Home fires caused by negligent use of heating equipment is easily preventable,” states State Fire Marshal Tonya Hoover, Cal Fire-Office of the State Fire Marshal. “Taking the time to check your heating equipment and maintaining it correctly could make the difference in protecting your home, but most importantly your life. If the heat is provided using fossil fuels, there should be a working carbon monoxide alarm to help alert residents if a malfunction in their heating equipment occurs. And as always, make sure you have working smoke alarms throughout the home.”

With just these few simple safety steps, you can prevent most heating-related fires from happening:

– Every home should have a working carbon monoxide (CO) alarm to avoid the risk of CO poisoning
– Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove or portable space heater.
– Have a three-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.
– Never use your oven to heat your home.
– Have a qualified professional install stationary space heating equipment, water heaters or central heating equipment according to the local codes and manufacturer’s instructions.
– Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional.
– Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.

To learn more about the dangers of carbon monoxide, watch the short, informative video above.

For more information on safe home heating visit the Cal Fire Web site at www.fire.ca.gov .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With the conditions resulting from Thursday's storm abating, the county's emergency operation center closed, however county officials are still assessing the storm's damage.

Marisa Chilafoe, Lake County Office of Emergency Services Manager, officially closed the Lake County Emergency Operation Center – or EOC – at 5 p.m. Friday.

The EOC was activated at 7 a.m. Thursday in response to the severe storm that hit Lake County and the rest of Northern California.

“I’d like to thank the staff at the EOC for their hard work and long hours, as well as the county staff that provided support to the EOC. Lake County was in good hands,” said Lake County Administrative Officer Matt Perry.

Reports on the current situation in Lake County were given at a final briefing at 4 p.m. Friday.

The Red Cross shelter located at the Lower Lake High School gymnasium at 9430 Lake St. was closed Friday afternoon, the county reported.

Officials also reported that both health services and fire rescue services are operating at status quo.

Lake County Community Development Director Rick Coel reported that there are two building inspectors and one building official out in the field doing damage assessments.

Late Friday afternoon, the county provided mutual aid assistance to the city of Clearlake by providing staff to inspect a home that was damaged by the storm.

Following the inspection, the house was red tagged because it was unsafe to occupy.

The Lake County Department of Social Services, in partnership with the Red Cross, is working with the residents of the home to find alternate accommodations.

Lake County Public Works Director Scott DeLeon, reported on road conditions.

The two most serious areas of damage are on Soda Bay Road, east of Marina View Drive and Bartlett Springs Road.

According to the most current road conditions report issued by the Lake County Department of Public Works, Soda Bay Road near Marina View Drive (Horseshoe Bend Area) had a undermining of the edge of the roadway.

The road has been stabilized but the traveling public is advised to reduce speed and use extreme caution through this area.

DeLeon said Lake County engineers documented 16 damaged sites in the first 14 miles of Bartlett Springs Road.

Other road conditions include:

– Seigler Canyon Road is open to through traffic.
– High Valley Road is restricted to single lane traffic at mile post marker 2.0 due to a washout of the roadway.
– Effective immediately and until further notice Hill Road is closed to all traffic from just north of Sutter Lakeside Hospital to Lakeshore Boulevard due to public safety concerns. Detours and signs are in place alerting the traveling public of the need to use alternative routes. Sutter Lakeside Hospital is still accessible on Hill Road East and can be accessed by taking the Park Way Exit on Highway 29 or taking Park Way from Lakeshore Boulevard.
– Ackley Road is closed to all traffic from Matthews Road to Highway 29.
– Reiff Road is closed to through traffic until further notice due to winter road conditions. Residents can access their properties.
– Scotts Valley Road, from Highway 20 to the Packing sheds is closed due to flooding.

Chilafoe was pleased with the outcome of the EOC activation.

“On behalf of Lake OES, I would like to thank our EOC staff and response partners for their hard work and creative solutions in response to the storm,” she said. “The collaboration of county employees, local agency personnel, nonprofit organizations, the city of Clearlake, the city of Lakeport and the state of California was impressive and contributed to a positive conclusion to a dangerous situation.”

Any new emergency information will be posted on the Lake County OES Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-OES/307452049434603?fref=nf .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Thursday, community residents and local officials had to deal with floodwaters and heavy amounts of rain thanks to a storm system that hit the region.

The storm led to the declaration of local emergencies by the county and the cities of Clearlake and Lakeport, resulted in an evacuation of some residents in the city of Clearlake, closed schools and the county's bus service, caused temporary closures on some roadways and rapidly filled creeks, fields and streets.

The video above shows the effort to clean up and assess the situation, which was taking place Thursday.

Forecasters said another, less severe phase of the storm is expected on Friday.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Storm conditions have made a bridge at a Lakeport trailer park unsafe, Lakeport Police said late Thursday.

The agency said the bridge at the Will-O-Point Trailer Park on First Street is no longer passable by vehicles or pedestrians.

The city of Lakeport and the Lakeport Police Department have been responding to the situation due to concerns for the residents at the south end of the park.

The bridge and the property is under the authority of the State Housing and Community Development Department, which the city has been in communications with about the bridge issue, officials said.

City officials urged the public to drive with extra caution – and only when necessary – during these periods of severe weather.