A powerful midweek storm caused "significant damage" across Santa Cruz County, including the coastline where multiple piers took a beating, county officials said Thursday.
In the popular coastal town of Capitola, a section of the wharf collapsed into the ocean as destructive waves pounded the coastline. Nearby Seacliff Pier also suffered "heavy damage," the county said.
Longtime Capitola residents said the wharf is important, not only as an iconic symbol but also as an attraction bringing visitors to the town’s businesses.
"So sad, really. The wharf, that’s so devastating," Capitola resident Kristine Tinger said. "It’ll be closed down for a while for sure.”
Rain runoff and a surging swell converged in Capitola's village, prompting officials to evacuate the area. Businesses in the village sustained "significant damage," but no injuries were reported, police said.
"The combination of the swell and then the rain runoff, that kind of put us in the situation that we're in right now," Capitola police Chief Andrew Dally said. "The swell is supposed to drop significantly by tomorrow, so that'll help our current situation, but we're still monitoring the high tide and the rain runoff."
The village will remain closed until crews can assess the damage and determine that it's safe to reopen, police said.
"This is a serious situation," Capitola Mayor Margaux Keiser said. "We want to take every precaution that we can."
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The county urged the public to avoid the coast Thursday due to "enormous waves and high tides," calling the conditions "extraordinarily dangerous."
Residents in low-lying coastal areas were instructed to evacuate if they could do so safely. Residents unable to evacuate were instructed to shelter in place and move away from windows facing the ocean.
Sara Froie, who lives along Soquel Creek, which drains into the Pacific Ocean, was among the residents forced to evacuate Thursday morning.
“The waves are massive," Froie said. "They’re taking out all of the flood guards, all of the boards and they're sending the boards up into the river path."
Many residents came back to rescue what they could from their flooded homes, even though the risk was still there.
“You don’t want to lose your life, but you do want to salvage as much as you can," Froie said.
