A century-old wharf in Santa Cruz suffered major damage from recent powerful waves, prompting concerns about the increasing frequency and severity of such events due to climate change.
To many locals, it feels like Santa Cruz's picturesque coast is being battered like never before. Waves from strong winter storms and a pair of tsunamis have caused millions of dollars in damage to the wharf and marina area in recent years, including an onslaught of dangerous waves this week that washed almost 150 feet of its wharf out to sea.
A large section of the century-old wharf detached from the rest of the structure amid turbulent swells Monday, sending three people — all of whom survived — into the sea, casting a bathroom to float miles south and leaving onlookers in shock. “The wharf’s been around for over 100 years, and this is the first time I can remember anything like this happening,” said Gino Marini, co-owner of Marini's Candies, which has its flagship store not far from where part of the wharf broke off. His family's business has been on the wharf for 40 years, and although he remembers storms that caused significant damage — pilings cracking or boats crashing — there's never been a collapse this major. This latest offensive from the ocean worries officials and some locals, who wonder how common such dangerously strong and frequent waves may become in Santa Cruz, worsened by a warming climate that is raising sea levels and pumping more energy into the waves. 'Mother Nature holds the cards,' Santa Cruz Assistant City Manager Michelle Templeton said at a news conference this week. 'We do know that these west swells are continuing to grow in severity, and we’ll continue to assess the damage that’s been ongoing to determine how we’re going to proceed.” The dangerous surf that walloped through Monterey Bay earlier this week also has been blamed for the death of at least one person who became trapped under debris and left another missing at sea, officials said. Both incidents occurred slightly south of Santa Cru
Climate Change Wharf Damage Flooding Tsunamis Ocean Waves
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