The City of Santa Cruz is asking the public for help in the removal of debris from the collapse of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf.
The city held a public reopening ceremony for the wharf on Saturday, less than two weeks after powerful waves caused a portion of it to collapse into the ocean.
The reopening is much earlier than officials first thought after a section at the end of the under-construction wharf collapsed into the Pacific Ocean and washed away during a strong storm on Dec. 23, 2024.
According to city officials, community members can report wharf-related debris sightings and information, including debris location and photos, if available.
City officials also reminded residents to refrain from touching or disturbing any debris and to stay away from the areas surrounding it.
Separately, several businesses have been closed since the collapse and subsequent wharf closure, and city officials initially said it could take weeks, if not months, to reopen the wharf partially.
Those businesses also were slated to reopen Saturday.
"We’re happy to see we can open," said Gino Marini, owner of Marini's Candles. "We’re happy to see the customers. We’re happy to have our employees back at work. This just means the world to me and we’ll just see how the rest of the weekend goes."
Tony Alliot of Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation said an assessment completed by Moffat and Nichol deemed it safe to reopen.
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"Moffat and Nichol did not observe any damage to the Wharf’s structure capacity beyond the area affected by storm damage and noted that it has the same strength it did before the storm," Alliot said in a news release Friday.
The portion of the wharf affected by the collapse will remain closed.
Officials urged residents to avoid playing with or setting any found debris on fire to avoid safety risks.
Residents can report debris sightings and relevant information to reportdebris@santacruzca.gov.
If community members find wharf-related commemorations, memorial benches, or memorabilia, please call Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation at (831) 420-5270 or recreationevents@santacruzca.gov.
