The latest storm rolling in is kicking up waves and fears in Santa Cruz and Capitola as they are both still repairing damage from prior storms.
In Santa Cruz, the city is still making repairs from the collapse of the wharf in December and there is still work being done on damage from big storms in 2023.
City officials said they hope to have much of the reconstruction done next month.
“It’s devastating but hopefully they can rebuild it. Hopefully, they can get back the places that were here and make it better and stronger,” said Fresno resident Bobby Soto, who was visiting the area.
Seafood restaurants such as the iconic Stagnaro brothers said they’re starting to recover business and hope the storm doesn’t set everything back.
“Hopefully, it stays pretty mellow," said Christy Howe with Stagnero Bros. "It’s been going pretty good out here. We had some rough waves last week and it seemed to be holding up OK. Which I was kinda happy to see because the waves were a little, you know, more erratic than normal."
In Capitola, bulldozers have been piling up sand to create breakers to protect the beachside community.
At the popular Zelda’s restaurant, storm doors and roll up steel shutters have been added for even more protection. since the pier reopened, Zelda’s said it has boosted visitors but are concerned about the storm.
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"With this impending storm coming up, we all have PTSD," said Joshua Whitby, Zelda’s kitchen manager. "So I mean, you hear big waves, big swell, with the wind, with the rain. It’s kind of like the perfect trifecta of storm that hit in 2023 and messed us up pretty bad. So kind of worried about it.”
Though it all, business owners just want the public to remember there are still bars, restaurants and cafes open, rain or shine.
