Trees and brush in the Santa Cruz Mountains CZU Lightning Complex Fires Scar Zone
Trees and brush in the CZU burn scar shortly before last month’s big storm.
(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)
Civic Life

What did people think about last week’s storm evacuations? Local officials plan to find out

Debris flow town halls set up by county supervisors Bruce McPherson and Ryan Coonerty to get feedback from those who received evacuation orders during last week’s storm.

In the wake of last week’s massive storm and the debris flow risks that forced evacuation orders, county and state officials are seeking feedback from those affected.

The first of two virtual town halls will be Wednesday from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., and will target specifically residents in Santa Cruz County’s 5th Supervisory District — the San Lorenzo Valley area most affected by the orders. The meeting link: https://tiny.cc/cpobtz

Their action helps pave the way for county government to get state and federal funding to repair millions of dollars in...

The second town hall will be Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. and focus on the 3rd District, which includes the Davenport/Swanton areas that also received evacuation orders. The meeting link: https://tiny.cc/aqobtz

Bruce McPherson, 5th District Supervisor, and Ryan Coonerty, 3rd District Supervisor, will host the meetings. Participants will be asked to fill out a survey and have the opportunity to ask questions.

While damage from last week’s “atmospheric river” rain event destroyed parts of Highway 1 south of Santa Cruz County and sparked a debris flow near Salinas, the CZU Burn Scar in the Santa Cruz Mountains went largely unaffected.

Lookout reported last week that the CZU scar might be more resilient to debris flows and that scientists and officials might be re-thinking evacuation thresholds here.