Helping Santa Cruz’s most vulnerable residents, those experiencing chronic homelessness, find cover from the elements has been challenging during this historic run of extreme winter weather. An emergency 24/7 shelter at the Civic Auditorium was shut down due to what the city called “inadequate resources” and what others described as a chaotic environment. Another smaller overnight shelter that launched at Depot Park is attempting to fill the void and staffed by an organization better equipped to handle the unhoused population, observers say.
Coast Life
Posted inLatest News
Where we stand on Wednesday night: After brief dry spell, more storms headed to Santa Cruz County
After what is expected to be a brief reprieve from the rain for much of Thursday, another atmospheric river is set to hit the Central Coast on Thursday night and into the weekend, bringing with it the potential for thunderstorms, hail, gusty winds and more high surf. In Watsonville, workers rushed to repair the Pajaro River levee. The community of Pajaro was put under an evacuation order, though local officials said the river did not flood.
Posted inLatest News
Santa Cruz County storms: Where we stand Tuesday
Gov. Gavin Newsom was set to tour storm-damaged parts of Capitola Village on Tuesday afternoon. Meanwhile, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office was responding to an overwhelming number of calls about downed trees, more than 19,000 people were without power, 64 county roads had closures, and the Pajaro River stood at 31 feet and rising.
Posted inCoast Life
Riders on the storm: Santa Cruz surfers’ yin-yang relationship with historic megaswell events
There is much cleanup and rebuilding to be done after the storms battering Santa Cruz County, damage that hadn’t been seen for decades. There is also an epic sandbar building up off the San Lorenzo rivermouth. It’s a complex equation for those who live their best Santa Cruz lives tapping into the ocean’s energy and often risking their own personal safety for reasons few others could understand.
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Biden declares emergency as latest in ‘parade of cyclones’ takes aim at California
President Joe Biden approves an emergency declaration for California as another series of powerful winter storms bears down Monday on Northern California.
Posted inK-12 Education
Some Santa Cruz County school closures extend into Tuesday as storm evacuation orders continue
All Pajaro Valley Unified School District schools are set to be closed Tuesday, impacting more than 18,000 students. Several other area schools closed Monday and were weighing plans for Tuesday. On Monday afternoon, Mountain Elementary Superintendent Megan Tresham said she had yet to make a decision about whether to close Tuesday. Bonny Doon Superintendent Mike Heffner and Happy Valley Superintendent Michelle Stewart said their schools planned to be open Tuesday.
Posted inLatest News
Santa Cruz County storm: Freeway and road closures pile up
Roads and highways across Santa Cruz County and the broader region have been shut down by landslides, sinkholes, flooding and emergency road work.
Posted inLatest News
‘There’s very little we can do.’ Watsonville residents eye fragile levee system with growing sense of alarm
More heavy rain is set to hit the low-lying areas of Santa Cruz County this week. In Watsonville, memories are still fresh for many of the ruinous floods of 1995, which brought about two deaths and almost $100 million in damages, due to a breach in the aging system of levees on the river. More flooding followed in 1997 and 1998, and the levees almost failed again in 2017.
Posted inLatest News
Your photos: A look at Santa Cruz County storms, recovery through our readers’ eyes
We asked readers to share their photos from the storms that battered Santa Cruz County in early 2023, and the cleanup and recovery efforts that followed, and many responded. Here’s a selection of the most dramatic reader storm photos from across Santa Cruz County.
Posted inLatest News
WATCH: Fierce winter storms batter Santa Cruz County. See the devastation in videos.
Lookout photojournalist Kevin Painchaud spend the past week crisscrossing Santa Cruz County, capturing video of the winter storms. See some of the highlights below.