A bridge providing access to a Lytle Creek community has reopened as officials continue to assess the impacts of a powerful storm that triggered flooding and debris flows in parts of San Bernardino County.
Among the areas impacted include Wrightwood, Lytle Creek, Piñon Hills and Phelan, according to county officials, as footage and photos in recent days captured swiftly flowing water racing through communities and muddied landscapes. Gov. Gavin Newsom issued astate of emergencyfor San Bernardino County on Christmas Eve, when mud and debris flows were being reported in the communities by the San Bernadino County Fire Department.
Amy Ledbetter, communications officer with the San Bernardino County Public Works, said that a bridge that provides access to the Happy Jack area of Lytle Creek is officially open after it was found structurally sound and safe the morning of Monday, Dec. 29. The storm had left the residents of the Happy Jack area without a way in or out of the area, as Ledbetter understood it. The public, however, is asked to limit their travel to essential travel only.
From a short-lived tornado warning to flooding, Southern Californians' Christmas Eve is being shaped by the weather amid an atmospheric river that officials have warned about for days.People sit on the roof of a building while they are stranded during floods partially submerging the surrounding area in the aftermath of torrential rains, in San Bernardino County, California, U.S. December 24, 2025 in this screengrab obtained from a social media video." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Strong atmospheric river brings floods, snow, high winds to California
From a short-lived tornado warning to flooding,Southern Californians' Christmas Eve is being shaped by the weather amid an atmospheric riverthat officials have warned about for days.People sit on the roof of a building while they are stranded during floods partially submerging the surrounding area in the aftermath of torrential rains, in San Bernardino County, California, U.S. December 24, 2025 in this screengrab obtained from a social media video.
Meanwhile, three centers assisting residents are open in Phelan, Lytle Creek and Wrightwood, said Brianna Viteri, a spokesperson with the San Bernardino County Office of Emergency Services. These centers provide goods like water, first aid kits and lanterns.
But amid the early cleanup and recovery comes forecasted rain for Southern California on New Year's Eve and into the weekend. County officials said they are working closely with the National Weather Service in advance of the wet weather, including getting forecasted rain rates, said Ledbetter. Portions of Wrightwood saw over 10 inches of rain amid the holiday storm, theVictorville Daily Press reported.
How many homes were damaged in the storms?
Damage assessments teams had been sent out to Wrightwood, Lytle Creek, Piñon Hills and Phelan, and all assessments were completed on Sunday, Dec. 28, said Shawn Millerick, PIO of the San Bernardino County Fire Department. Millerick couldn't release those figures to the USA TODAY Network, although he hoped those figures would be released Jan. 2. The county fire department previously said approximately 50 homes had severe damage in an "unofficial count" about the storm's impact on Wrightwood and Lytle Creek.
Millerick has been out to these areas daily, estimating that 95% of the water that had caused all the damage in the area was gone. Cleanup, he said, is the issue now. There were areas 4-feet deep in mud in Wrightwood, for example, according to Millerick.
Officials are working to get all drainage areas cleared and prepare those areas to channel water as they normally do, Merrick said.
In parts of Phelan and Piñon Hills, "tons of mud and debris" washed in, and the county public works department said that crews were reestablishing the natural drainage channels out in the area in a social media post on Dec. 27
Paris Barraza is a reporter covering Los Angeles and Southern California for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her atpbarraza@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Lytle Creek bridge reopens, damage assessed in San Bernardino County