Monday's rain and snow from over the weekend continue to cause major problems for people in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Residents were not only digging out of the snow, they were also trying to clear downed trees.
Ed Dee has lived in the Santa Cruz Mountains for nearly 50 years. He's used to the elements, just not all at once.
"I’ve seen a lot of storms. Never seen anything like this," he said. "The wind, the snow and the lightning is unique to this storm in my lifetime."
Dee said more than a foot of snow fell, and he could hear trees snapping under the weight.
The falling trees and limbs took power lines down with them. Many residents near the summit haven't had power since last Thursday.
"There really isn’t an end in sight right now," Dee said. "We see the crews out here, the PG&E crews. God bless them. They’re out here working super hard. Last night, there was just crews everywhere. But our infrastructure is down."
Most residents in the area have generators, but Dee said his was damaged in a lightning storm.
Jen Cramer, who lives next door, has also been in the dark.
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"We're on the edge of the Silicon Valley, the biggest technological, innovative center in the world, and we don't have power," she said.
Dee and Cramer said the power grid needs major upgrades.
"I lived in Colorado for 25 years – remote, rural Colorado," Cramer said. "I never lost power. We had tremendous snow and there’s all these other things."
Dee is asking for transparency from the utility.
"We can take it, just tell us what you know," he said. "Don't set a false expectation: 'Oh, it will be on at 11 tonight.' And then it slips and slips. It's going to probably be a few weeks for some people up here."
Until then, some residents are using creek water to flush toilets, Cramer said.
PG&E said it continues to work on fixing the power lines, but the utility is also dealing with fallen trees and access issues, including washed out and blocked roads.
