Snowed-in residents of San Bernardino Mountains receive supplies from volunteer helicopter team

By Alex Cheney

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    GREEN VALLEY LAKE, California (KABC) — A nonprofit’s volunteer helicopter team has been flying supplies in to residents stranded in snowed-in communities of the San Bernardino Mountains.

“Loaded this helicopter up, got a bunch of donations for them,” said CalDART pilot Wes Klein, referring to people who have seen their food and other supplies dwindle amid road closures and other logistical impediments.

Klein shared video with ABC7 that showed the moment his helicopter touched down in Green Valley Lake with life-saving supplies like food and medicine

“When you’re trapped in your house, I’m assuming with 8 feet or snow, and you haven’t been outside for 10 days and you’re running low on supplies,” said Klein, “you just want somebody to like know you’re there and come out there and give you some support.”

CalDart is a non profit that provides airborne disaster relief mission throughout California. Since last Thursday the organization has made made several trips into various San Bernardino and Riverside county mountain towns, flying over shutdown and impassible roads, to deliver much needed supplies in minutes instead of hours.

“We can launch from here and be on the pad in 15 minutes and when you have critical needs right where you need it you can’t do any better than that,” said Ron Lovick, an incident commander for CalDART.

Klein said the reaction from the mountain communities he serves makes it all worth it.

“They were so stoked when I landed there,” he said. “They were just like, somebody that actually cares that — not government — is not being paid to come do this. I’m just doing this because I’m of the volition that i enjoy doing it.”

CalDART will continue to bring supplies into the mountains for weeks to come.

“This community up there has absolutely been amazing,” Klein said. “They’ve stepped up they’ve really really worked together. This is probably the best operation I’ve been on in 52 years.”

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