The latest storm threatens to further swamp California, already reeling from widespread flooding, mudslides, washed-out roads and downed power lines.
Mid-County
Posted inLatest News
How much will California help pay for Santa Cruz storm repairs? Newsom signals ‘assessments’
Santa Cruz County has taken a battering over the past 10 days, and Gov. Gavin Newsom visited Capitola on Tuesday, witnessing the damage. To the questions of state aid, he acknowledged that small businesses might have to wade through a number of different resources to find disaster relief, but said his office will put together “a sheet” with more streamlined information on resources.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
How a determined dog and memories of baby red-tailed hawks are getting me through 2023’s stormy start
Lookout columnist Claudia Sternbach was looking for a sign that 2023 would be a tad brighter than 2022. She found it in a determined dog who, just after the New Year’s Eve storm, had slipped down an embankment and was struggling to “return to its people,” who were standing on a ledge calling to it. Sternbach unfolds the story here — and contemplates the unexpected sense of community that emerges during a crisis.
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 inLatest News
Santa Cruz’s bomb cyclones might be gone — but don’t relax yet
Much of Santa Cruz County fared better than worse-case scenarios, but road blockages, lots of localized flooding have caused a fair amount of pain. With new ocean swells set to join the nonstop precipitation — 1.5 inches of rain and 50 mph winds to the coastal areas and up to 3 inches of rain and 60 mph winds in the mountains in the next 24 hours — all bets are off on how much dislocation is ahead of us.
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
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.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County storm recovery: Here are ways you can donate and volunteer
Across Santa Cruz County, community groups are coming together to raise money and launch volunteer efforts to help vulnerable residents during emergencies and rebuild and recover from the damaging floods and surf swells. Here are some ways you can help.
Posted inLatest News
Neighbors along Soquel Creek say they had little warning their homes were about to flood
Several residents of Soquel Wharf Road told Lookout they had no warning from local officials that Soquel Creek would flood in last weekend’s storms, leaving them without time to protect their homes. “It’s kind of like the wild wild west out here right now,” one resident said. Santa Cruz County Supervisor Manu Koenig said the National Weather Service assured the county three times that the creek was not at risk of flooding.