CA storm delivered new blow to waterfront businesses, Capitola restaurant owners say
Dominick King, owner of My Thai Beach Restaurant in Capitola, said he and his staff did everything they could to prepare for the incoming storm Thursday that forced evacuations and damaged piers and oceanside buildings in the California beach town.
Now, it’s all about cleaning up after another blow to businesses in Santa Cruz County.
“Right now, it’s about assessing all the damage and then just salvaging what we can,” he told the Associated Press in a video. “ It’s difficult. It’s a small family business. We just made it out of COVID. We were looking to revamp and reset and keep pushing through but then this is another setback.”
Both the Capitola and Aptos piers suffered significant damage 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 Capitola pier so there isn’t even a way to get out to the business.
“When you occupy a premise on the water, you’re susceptible to these kinds of things,” he said in the AP video. “However, it’s been quite awhile since we’ve had this kind of damage, occurred to this extent, and lost a section of our wharf. But everything is reparable. It just takes time and money.”
The City of Santa Cruz has begun evacuating the Santa Cruz Wharf, which will also be closed “until further notice.”
Rain and wind in Northern California let up Thursday, but the state is bracing for more wild weather this weekend as another series of “atmospheric river” storms line up.
This story was originally published January 6, 2023 at 12:47 PM.
