Dominic King, owner of Mai Tai Beach restaurant in Capitola, said he and his staff were forced to evacuate after Thursday’s storms damaged piers and beachfront buildings in Beachtown, California. He said he did everything he could to prepare.
Now it’s all about cleaning up after another blow to businesses in Santa Cruz County.
“Now it’s about assessing all the damage and doing whatever relief we can,” he told The Associated Press in a video. I was trying to innovate and reset and push on, but this is another setback.”
Both Capitola and Aptos piers were severely damaged and will be closed until further notice, according to Santa Cruz County.
Willie Case’s Wharf House Restaurant sits at the end of the damaged Capitol Pier, so there’s not even a way out.
“Occupying water facilities makes them more susceptible to these types of effects,” he said in an AP video. “But it’s been quite a while since there’s been this kind of damage, this much damage and the loss of part of the wharf. But everything is repairable. It just takes time and money.”
The City of Santa Cruz has begun evacuating Santa Cruz Wharf, which will also be closed “until further notice.”
Rain and winds eased in Northern California on Thursday, but the state is gearing up for more stormy weather this weekend as another series of “atmospheric river” storms line up.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This story was originally published January 6, 2023 at 12:47 PM.