A woman walks past the Cement Ship at Seacliff State Beach on Monday afternoon. Days later, the ship would be battling huge ocean swells after storms hit the Santa Cruz County coast. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz 
PG&E set up a basecamp in the old drive movie theater located off of Soquel Drive in Santa Cruz on Wednesday, January 4. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz 
Inside Santa Cruz County’s emergency operations center on Wednesday, January 4 as it prepares for more storms to hit the region. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz 
Flood maps inside Santa Cruz County’s emergency operations center on Wednesday, January 4 as it prepares for more storms to hit the region. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz 
At Joyce-McKenzie Park in Watsonville, crews worked around the clock to help prepare and distribute sandbags ahead of the storms on Wednesday, January 4. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz 
At Joyce-McKenzie Park in Watsonville, crews worked around the clock to help prepare and distribute sandbags ahead of the storms on Wednesday, January 4. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz 
An emergency storm evacuation center at Cesar Chavez Middle School in Watsonville on Wednesday, January 4, 2023.
Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz
The combination of high tides and huge swells did extensive damage to the pier and iconic “Cement Ship at Seacliff State Beach. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz 
The damaged Seacliff Pier at Seacliff State Beach and the iconic WWI iconic “Cement Ship” off the Aptos coast. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz 
A sinkhole on West Cliff Drive after damaging storms overnight Thursday. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz 
SPC Magowan and SPC Ortiz from the 579th Engineering Batallion based out of Santa Rosa are stationed in front of the sinkhole located on West Cliff Drive. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz 
Portions of West Cliff Drive were closed this week after huge waves pounded the Santa Cruz shoreline, sending large rocks tumbling onto the walking path and roadway. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz 
Eric Stark looks out of an opening in his home in Rio Del Mar. The combination of huge swells and high tides completely knocked out the front wall and flooded the first floor of his house. Stark has owned the house, his “dream home,” since 2018. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz 
Eric Stark clears all of his belonging out of his “dream home” that sits between Beach Drive and Rio Del Mar beach in Aptos. The combination of huge swells and high tides completely knocked out is front wall of his house and completely flooded the first floor of his house that he has owned since 2018. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz 
Eric Stark, left, in his damaged home in Rio Del Mar. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz 
A friend of Aptos homeowner Eric Stark helps remove thick layers of sand and debris that lay inside of Stark’s beachfront home after it was damaged in the winter storms of January 5, 2023. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz 
Heavy equipment was brought in to help remove debris and large amounts of sand that lay along Beach Drive in Aptos. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz 
A motorcycle rider braves the flooded streets in the Rio Del Mar flats on Thursday morning. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz 
Emergency crews inspect damaged on Beach Drive in Aptos, cause by huge ocean swells on Thursday morning. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz 
Rio Del Mar Flats was largely underwater on Thursday as a result of heavy rains and enormous swells that crashed the California Coast. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz 
Molly Welch looks at the water line of floodwaters on the first floor of her home in Soquel on Friday, January 6, 2023. Her home was one of several along Soquel Creek damaged in the New Year’s Eve storms. Credit: Hillary Ojeda/Lookout Santa Cruz 
Soquel Creek, that flows through Soquel and into the beach in Capitola, swelled and flooded many yards of homes the sit along the creek. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz 
Crews spent much of the day clearing out sand and debris from Capitola Village on Thursday, January 5. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz 
Andy Hewitt, Owner of Britannia Arms Of Capitola, is relieved that there was no damage done inside of his beach front bar and restaurant in Capitola Village. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz 
The view from Capitola Village on Thursday, January 5. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz 
The patio and inside of Zelda’s on the Beach is in total ruins after the high tide and huge swells combined with heavy rainfall devastated the Capitola shoreline. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz 
A view underneath the Capitola Esplanade on Friday, January 6. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz 
The iconic Capitola Venetian Hotel, which overlooks Soquel Creek, received serious water damage. Both high tides and pounding swells caused the water to overflow its seawalls and flood the buildings. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz 
Half of the restaurants that lay along Soquel Creek in Capitola received red tags. The other half received yellow tags. Red tags indicate significant structural damaged, while yellow tags have less structural damage. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz 
Destruction caused by high river rise, high tide and huge swells. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz 
Crews clear debris littered among cottages at the iconic Capitola Venetian Hotel. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz 
Matthew Fanning manages the property for the owners of the Capitola Venetian Hotel. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz 
A large section of the Capitola Wharf was destroyed and lay in pieces along the beach after a bomb cyclone hit the Central Coast. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz 
Another look at storm damage to the Capitola Wharf. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz 
Capitola Wharf was missing a large section Jan. 5 after storms rolled through Santa Cruz County, causing ocean swells. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz 
The battered Capitola Wharf at sunset on Thursday, January 5. Credit: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz County storms in pictures
