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UPDATE: Residents trapped by Chimney Rock Road damage staying put

Chimney Roack Road closure.JPG
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UPDATE (4:32 p.m.) - PG&E says 84 customers on a separate portion of power line remain without power in the area and it's unknown when that fix can be made.

A PG&E spokesperson says a wire is down and a pole replacement needed. While crews walked in Thursday to repair one portion of line, they were unable to make the fix to the other line and their vehicles are not able to get through on the road.

UPDATE (2:24 p.m.) - The County of San Luis Obispo says no residents chose to be evacuated from their home Thursday and everyone blocked in along Chimney Rock Road chose to stay.

County officials say reverse 911 calls went out to the affected residents and they worked to get the word out other ways as well.

While boats went out Thursday morning, the county says no one showed up.

PG&E says power has been restored to the area. Crews walked in to assess the damage and were able to clear the tree weighing down the line and re-energize it.

The length of the closure of Chimney Rock Road is unknown at this time.

ORIGINAL STORY: Boats are being used to evacuate residents along Chimney Rock Road near Lake Nacimiento who are unable to get out.

The latest storm caused mud and rockslides, leaving the road inaccessible, even to off-road vehicles.

PG&E on Wednesday said 420 customers were affected by a power outage. It’s unknown when power will be restored.

Boat pickups began Thursday at 11 a.m. to the impacted residents in the communities of Running Deer Ranch, Cal Shasta, Rancho Del Lago, and South Shore who want to leave their homes.

They are then being brought to Oak Shores where shuttles will take them to the Paso Robles Event Center. From there, it will be up to them to decide where to go.

San Luis Obispo County estimates repairs to Chimney Rock Road could take two to four months.

“Residents living in these communities should be aware that emergency medical response to the area will be significantly delayed,” the county said, adding that the help being given Thursday is the only time, as of now, assistance like this will be provided through the county to the impacted residents.

Concrete barricades were placed along Chimney Rock Road Thursday morning as "the road has degraded to the point where driving on it is a threat to life safety," according to the county.