December 24th 2024.
On Monday, a fierce storm pounded California's central coast, causing widespread flooding and high surf that resulted in a tragic fatality and a partial collapse of a pier. The storm was predicted to bring hurricane-force winds and waves as high as 18 meters as it made its way from California to the Pacific Northwest.
In anticipation of the worsening conditions, some cities along the California coast ordered mandatory evacuations for beachfront homes and hotels. The mayor of Santa Cruz, Fred Keeley, expressed concern for the safety of his city, stating that the storm was expected to be more severe than the morning's already damaging weather.
Reports began to pour in from different areas along the coast, detailing the destruction caused by the storm. In Watsonville, first responders were called to Sunset State Beach where a man was trapped under debris, likely due to a large wave pinning him down. Despite efforts to save him, the man unfortunately passed away at the hospital.
Not long after, at Marina State Beach, another man was pulled into the Pacific Ocean by the storm's powerful surf. Despite search and rescue efforts, he remained missing by the evening. In Santa Cruz, the municipal wharf which was already under construction, partially collapsed and fell into the ocean, taking three people with it. Fortunately, all three were rescued with only minor injuries.
According to the mayor, this section of the wharf had been weakened over time and was in the process of being renovated following last year's destructive storms. The area was immediately evacuated and will remain closed until further notice. The head of the Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation Department estimated that approximately 45 meters of the wharf had fallen into the water. He also warned that the remaining pilings posed a serious danger to boats, as they were being pushed by strong waves.
The National Weather Service issued a warning on social media, urging people to stay away from the water. They emphasized the risk of getting too close and potentially putting rescuers in harm's way. The end of the wharf that had broken off and floated away was later found wedged at the bottom of the San Lorenzo River, about 800 meters down the coast.
The three individuals who fell into the water were engineers and a project manager who were conducting an inspection of the wharf. Thankfully, there were no members of the public in the area at the time. Building inspectors were brought in to assess the structural integrity of the rest of the pier.
Further up the West Coast, the storm was causing dangerous surf conditions and waves up to 9.1 meters from central Oregon to southwestern Washington. Winds were expected to reach 130 kph and a high surf warning was in effect until late evening. The National Weather Service office in Portland, Oregon described the storm as one of the highest surf events of the winter.
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