Your photos: A look at Santa Cruz County storms, recovery through our readers’ eyes

See photos from Lookout photojournalist Kevin Painchaud here. And check out his videos here.

Lookout is asking readers to share their photos from the storms that ravaged Santa Cruz County from New Year’s Eve 2022 well into the new year, and the cleanup and recovery efforts that followed, and many responded. Here’s a selection of the most dramatic reader photos from across Santa Cruz County. Send your own to news@lookoutlocal.com.

Main Beach cleanup

By Janet Romanowski

(Via Janet Romanowski)

More than 75 participants took advantage of a break in the weather Jan. 12 next to the Boardwalk on Santa Cruz County Association of Realtors Beach Clean-Up Day.

(Via Janet Romanowski)

Fallen tree in DeLaveaga Park

By Eric Berg

Reader Eric Berg shared a photo of a large eucalyptus tree that fell around 4 p.m. along the west parameter of DeLaveaga Park, facing DeLaveaga Elementary School in the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Santa Cruz. “We felt our house shake when it thudded down and we live six houses over,” Berg wrote. “No structures were damaged and fortunately no dogwalkers injured.”

A eucalyptus that toppled over in DeLaveaga Park in Santa Cruz.

(Via Eric Berg)

Natural Bridges State Beach

By Claudia Webster

Reader and Lookout member Claudia Webster captured this slightly-too-on-the-nose photo at Natural Bridges State Beach.

(Via Claudia Webster)

Walton Lighthouse at Seabright Beach

Flooded homes along Soquel Creek

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Flooded homes along Soquel Creek. 

(Via Shanie Gill)

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Flooded homes along Soquel Creek. 

(Via Shanie Gill)

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Flooded homes along Soquel Creek. 

(Via Shanie Gill)

Weather

Neighbors along Soquel Creek say they had little warning their homes were about to flood

Weather

Neighbors along Soquel Creek say they had little warning their homes were about to flood

By Hillary Ojeda

Quick Take

Several residents of Soquel Wharf Road told Lookout they had no warning from local officials that Soquel Creek would...

Parked car crushed by fallen tree in Aptos

(Via Juan Adrian)

Soquel Creek into Capitola Village

Neighbors clear roadways with chainsaws in Bonny Doon

(Via Andre Beauregard )

Capitola Village

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Capitola Village on Jan. 5. 

(Via Indiana Reyna)

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The Capitola wharf after the Jan. 5 surge. 

(Via Indiana Reyna)

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The Capitola wharf after the Jan. 5 surge. 

(Via Indiana Reyna)

Food & Drink

Damaged and without power, Capitola Village restaurants struggle to reopen and brace for next surge of storms

Food & Drink

Damaged and without power, Capitola Village restaurants struggle to reopen and brace for next surge of storms

By Lily Belli

Quick Take

The Esplanade in the Capitola Village remained closed to pedestrians and traffic on Friday after a storm surge on...

Roadbed failure on Granite Creek Road

A fallen tree down on the Bonny Doon Elementary School bus barn

Mudslide and road failure along White Road

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Road failure along White Road in Watsonville. 

(Via Rita Hewitt)

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Road failure along White Road in Watsonville. 

(Via Rita Hewitt)

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Road failure along White Road in Watsonville. 

(Via Rita Hewitt)

Flooding and home damage in Rio Del Mar

Flooding and home damage in Rio Del Mar.

(Via Caroline Manning Montgomery)

Civic Life

‘It’s crazy’: Massive flooding strikes the Rio Del Mar flats

Civic Life

‘It’s crazy’: Massive flooding strikes the Rio Del Mar flats

By Fernando Haro Garcia

Quick Take

‘It’s the flats and it’s famous for flooding,” said one longtime Rio Del Mar resident who had been evacuated from the...

All paws on deck for tree clearing in Bonny Doon

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(Via Melanie Palm)

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(Via Melanie Palm)

Damage from fallen trees on Escalona Drive

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Trees down on Escalona Drive on New Year’s Eve. 

(Via John Mulry)

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Trees down on Escalona Drive in Santa Cruz on New Year’s Eve. 

(Via John Mulry)

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Trees down on Escalona Drive in Santa Cruz on New Year’s Eve. 

(Via John Mulry)

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Trees down on Escalona Drive in Santa Cruz on New Year’s Eve. 

(Via John Mulry)

Cleaning debris from Seabright State Beach

Gwen Hubner and Cori Land spent time on Thursday cleaning up debris that accumulated on Seabright State Beach after the recent storms. They collected “16 pounds in one round of buckets,” says Land. “The beach is a mess, with debris pushed all the way back to the cliff. The fire pits are all blown around. We found some needles, tennis balls, beach toys, a pair of shoes, and lots of foam.”

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Flooding at Seabright State Beach on Jan. 5. 

(Via Cori Land)

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Debris at Seabright State Beach on Jan. 5. 

(Via Cori Land)

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Cori Land (pictured) and Gwen Hubner clean up debris on Seabright State Beach on Jan. 5. 

(Via Cori Land)

Flooding at the Tannery Arts Center

Via Twitter

Flooding at the Tannery Arts Center

(via Twitter)

Flooding and evacuations in Watsonville

By Tina Baine

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Checking in at the evacuation shelter at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds on Jan. 9. 

(Via Tina Baine)

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Car parked on Bridge Street and Cereze Street in Watsonville on Jan. 9. 

(Via Tina Baine)

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Holohan Road and East Lake Avenue in Watsonville on Jan. 9. 

(Via Tina Baine)

Weather

Santa Cruz County storms in pictures

Weather

Santa Cruz County storms in pictures

By Kevin Painchaud

Quick Take

Lookout photographer Kevin Painchaud has travelled across the county to chronicle the winter storms that hit Santa Cruz...

Weather

WATCH: Fierce winter storms batter Santa Cruz County. See the devastation in videos.

Weather

WATCH: Fierce winter storms batter Santa Cruz County. See the devastation in videos.

By Kevin Painchaud

Quick Take

Lookout photojournalist Kevin Painchaud spend the past week crisscrossing Santa Cruz County, capturing video of the...