Part of the Santa Cruz wharf collapsed Monday afternoon during a high wave warning, with authorities confirming that two people had to be pulled from the water.
The municipal wharf collapse was just one of many impacts in the weather-ravaged region as high surf and flooding led to multiple road closures and some coastal evacuations in Capitola.
Santa Cruz Fire Department
Santa Cruz officials later said the collapse occurred around 12:45 p.m
The National Weather Service Bay Area X account posted information and video from an X user about the collapse Monday at 1:1:18 p.m.
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“Part of the Santa Cruz Pier has collapsed and is floating away,” the report said. ‘Look at the ominous wave movement on the horizon. You are risking your life, and the lives of the people who should be trying to save you, by getting in or too close to the water.”
The Santa Cruz Fire Department confirmed that two people needed help when they were pulled from the water by lifeguards and that a third person was able to get out of the surf on their own without assistance. Santa Cruz police were also on scene.
The Santa Cruz yard is closed until further notice, officials said. The public is asked to stay away from the area.
Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley and other city officials spoke about the incident shortly before 2:30 p.m. Keeley noted that the part of the pier that collapsed was “a portion of the municipal wharf that has already been identified as requiring demolition and repairs. over time.”
It included the Dolphin restaurant and one of the public bathrooms on the wharf. Keeley also confirmed that the people who fell into the water were city employees working on the dock at the time, but said there were no injuries and that all people were accounted for. The section of the washed-out wharf has been closed to the public since January of this year, officials said.
The mayor noted that in the collapse they “lost many pilings, much of the deck of the wharf itself, as well as the toilet and what remained of the Dolphin restaurant.”
The public toilet had already washed up on the beach, but the mayor said the rest of the debris left in the water posed “serious dangers to people and to any form of navigation” and asked people to stay out of the water and stay away . the beach for their safety and keep “their vehicles, boats or other devices in the water”.
The mayor said city staff were “assessing the structural integrity of the wharf” given the approaching storm that would likely have additional impacts.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office confirmed that the governor was aware of the damage and said the California Office of Emergency Services was working with local officials to provide support.
The pier collapse is coming after the National Weather Service issued a high surf warning which remains in effect until Tuesday afternoon for San Francisco, the North Bay coast, including Point Reyes National Seashore, the Peninsula coast, Monterey Bay and the Big Sur coast. Breaking waves of 30 to 35 feet are expected along the coast.
Further south from the dock, Santa Cruz County confirmed to KPIX that a man died at Sunset State Beach after a large wave trapped him under washed-up debris.
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk announced the closure of the Boardwalk, Casino Arcade and Neptune’s Kingdom due to weather conditions shortly after 1:30 p.m. for the remainder of the day Monday. However, the Boardwalk Bowl remained open.
So was the pier damaged during the powerful bomb cyclone which caused extensive damage in Santa Cruz, Capitola and other coastal towns in January 2023.
The high surf had additional impacts on Monday as the day progressed. The CHP’s Santa Cruz office confirmed shortly after 3 p.m. that flooding occurred at East Cliff at 9th Ave., East Cliff at Moran Lake, Marina Ave. at Aptos Beach Dr., Moosehead Dr. and Rio Del Mar at Aptos Beach Dr. had closed. .
There were also some evacuations in Capitola after Capitola Village was closed by flooding from high surf, with waves of seawater pushing into the area. Villagers were advised to shelter in place and the Capitola Venetian Hotel was evacuated.
This is a developing news story. Additional information will be included as it becomes available.
