Thursday, January 5th, 2023, was the last day of my two-week vacation. Paul and I decided to walk in Capitola Village, thinking that it would not be too busy, for it was still a weekday under a cloudy sky after an overnight rain. We were surprised to see our usual out-of-the-way parking lot almost full. Vehicles and people were scurrying around like little figures in a fast-moving film, in and out incessantly. Once out of our car to saunter to the beach's cliff-top railing, we were further surprised to see brown waves pushing in forcefully, one after another. Straight ahead, another big surprise was in store for us: the Capitola Wharf was broken into two parts with its two tattered ends mashed to pieces. The damage explained the restlessness around us. Without further ado, we turned around and went home for a neighborhood walk. Little did we expect that it was only the beginning of the winter storms in the County of Santa Cruz. Later we learned that many businesses along the Esplanade were battered and inundated with huge ocean waves.
The damages were equally severe on West Cliff Drive, especially between streets such as Columbia, Woodrow, David Way and Sunset, as we witnessed on our evening walk the next day. The lower lands and mountain areas have not fared better. There were floods in Watsonville and Felton, and mudslides in San Lorenzo Valley.
Winter storms in Santa Cruz County have made national and international headlines. As a result, calls and messages poured in from our concerned family members and friends. According to The Sentinel, Governor Gavin Newsom came to visit hard-hit Capitola. The only exception is a group of my former training class mates that are still engaged in their endless Sino-U.S. bickering, even though they call themselves disaster/bad news chasers.
