The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved an emergency declaration for the damages sustained in the storm surges on Dec. 28 and 30.
County officials estimate that the waves, which inundated Capitola Village, slammed Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf and wreaked havoc all along the coast in the unincorporated regions, caused more than $4 million in damage, said Dave Reed, who directs the Office of Response, Recovery & Resilience.
This includes damages to East Cliff Drive and to coastal access points of County Parks. Rio Del Mar Esplanade, businesses in Rio Del Mar and residences along Beach Drive were also impacted.
While not as severe as the surge that hit the county last year—which brought tides topping 7 feet and waves as high as 40 feet—the recent waves still packed a wallop.
Reed said that the surge in December brought tides higher than 5 feet and 30-foot waves.
The county’s coastal parks fared the worst, with an estimated $2.5 million in damages, Reed said.
The declaration will allow the county to apply for state and federal disaster relief funds.
This year’s response included extensive community outreach, evacuation warnings and the opening of an emergency shelter.
The county also deployed its first Wireless Emergency Alert, a program by the Federal Emergency Management Agency that sends notices to cell phones in a given region, Reed said.
He added that many residents ignored warnings to stay away from coastal zones, and while nobody was injured, it nevertheless distressed officials.
“Any time we see a large wave breaking over small children on West Cliff, that is not where we want people to be standing,” he said.
Supervisor Bruce McPherson said the surges were a reminder of the county’s vulnerability to natural disasters.
“Whether it’s flood or fire or whatever the case may be,” he said. “So we’re going to need to receive predictable state and federal assistance in our efforts. We cannot prevent these disasters, but we can make our community more resilient.”
How many businesses and homes right on the coast and beach have flood insurance? No public taxes should be used to repair private or business property that don’t have flood insurance.