Two people were rescued after a section of the Santa Cruz pier under construction partially collapsed and fell into the ocean due to heavy surf from a major Pacific storm.
Residents were warned to stay away from low-lying areas near the Santa Cruz Wharf, about 70 miles south of San Francisco, as the storm rapidly gained strength.
The big picture: Lifeguards rescued two people from the water, and a third person was able to swim to safety, with no serious injuries reported.
- The section of the wharf that collapsed had been undergoing a $4 million renovation following damage from the previous winter’s storms.
- A significant portion of the pier, about 150 feet, fell into the water and the area was immediately evacuated and will remain closed indefinitely.
- The damaged pilings remaining in the ocean pose serious hazards to boats due to the powerful waves pushing them.
Driving the news: The end of the pier that broke off had been shut down during renovations and became wedged at the bottom of the San Lorenzo River, about half a mile down the coast.
- Those who fell into the water were two engineers and a project manager who were inspecting the end of the wharf, and building inspectors were assessing the rest of the Santa Cruz Wharf’s structural integrity following the collapse.
- This incident occurred about a year after the nearby Seacliff State Beach pier was also damaged by heavy storms, highlighting the vulnerability of coastal structures to severe weather.
