SANTA CRUZ (KRON) — The inauguration takes a back seat in Santa Cruz County, as residents deal with damage from the second major storm to hit the area in about a week.
KRON4’s Rob Fladeboe ventured into the region to capture the extent of the wreckage.
Although the rain has let up for the time being, water is still running off near Highway 9 in Felton in quantities large enough to pose threats to the community.
Small drains are looking more like fast-moving creeks. One resident was even using sandbags to divert the water away from his home.
About an inch of rain per hour fell in the Santa Cruz mountains overnight, causing several mudslides and waterfalls in the area.
One of those mudslides blocked Highway 9 at Glengarry Rd for most of Friday.
On the border of Santa Cruz and Scotts Valley, a 100-foot fir tree came down, grazing a house and smashing a pickup truck in the driveway.
Resident David Potts told Rob he believes that years of drought caused the roots to dry out and shrink, making it susceptible to uprooting.
In the Paradise Park area, lower level driveways are flooded, but luckily the river stopped just short of causing serious damage.
It appears that the worst is over, at least for now.
The Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf will be closed on Saturday morning from 2 a.m. to 12 p.m. due to a high surf advisory.