A section of the Santa Cruz Wharf collapsed into the Pacific Ocean on Monday, sending three people into the water. Two were rescued by lifeguards, and the third swam to safety. The wharf was undergoing renovations after being damaged by storms last winter.
Though the weather should dry up on Christmas, Tuesday's forecast, which includes high surf and flooding, has many Santa Cruz County residents on high alert a day after a major storm was blamed for one man’s death in Watsonville and the partial collapse of the Santa Cruz pier, which sent three people hurtling into the Pacific Ocean.The National Weather Service on Christmas Eve warned of dangerous, large-breaking waves of up to 35 feet. Its latest high surf warning will be in effect until 6 p.m.
Tuesday.The good news is that on Christmas Day, the clouds should part and the skies will be clear. Here's a recap of what happened on Monday throughout the county: In Santa Cruz, a municipal wharf under construction partially collapsed and fell into the ocean around 12:45 p.m. on Monday, taking three people – two engineers and a project manager inspecting the wharf – with it. Two people were rescued by lifeguards and a third swam to safety. No one was seriously injured.One of the rescues, via jet ski, was captured on camera. Before the lifeguard arrived, the man, wearing a hard hat, was seen standing on top of floating debris from the collapsed wharf, waving his arms for help. A second man was also seen nearby floating on the remnants of the wharf.Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley told reporters that section of the wharf had been damaged over time. The structure was in the middle of a $4-million renovation following destructive storms last winter about 70 miles south of San Francisco.Tony Elliot, the head of the Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation Department, estimated that about 150 feet of the end of the wharf fell into the water. It was immediately evacuated and will remain closed indefinitely.Some of the wharf’s pilings are still in the ocean and remain 'serious, serious hazards' to boats, the mayor said. Each piling weighs hundreds of pounds and is being pushed by powerful waves.The end of the Santa Cruz Wharf that broke off had been shut down during renovation
Santa Cruz Wharf Collapse Storm Flood Rescue
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