Capitola braces for storm while recovery from damaging early 2023 storm continues
The city of Capitola is bracing for the potentially damaging combination of giant swells and high tides this week.
The National Weather Service issued a High Surf Warning for the coast from 3 a.m. Thursday to 3 a.m. Friday due to breaking wave heights of 28 feet to 33 feet, reaching up to 40 feet.
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Capitola is still recovering from a powerful storm with monster waves that knocked out a large section of the Capitola wharf back in January.
Almost a year later, the pier is still closed.
David Morris and his sister Tina Williams own Capitola Boat and Bait on the Capitola wharf. They said it's been a hard year for their family since their business remains closed.
"The biggest thing is when I look out there, I see my second home and my second family, and I don't get to see them every day anymore," said Morris.
Morris estimates he's suffered $200,000 in damages, not including lost revenue.
While KPIX was there, Morris and Williams saw Willie Case who owns the Wharf House restaurant on the Capitola wharf.
Sadly, Case said he's lost around $1 million in revenue so far, and that number continues to grow every day his business remains closed.
"It's certainly frustrating," said Case. "This is my life. I've been out here 35 years now, and I have a lot of patrons that miss what we do."
Their loyal customers and the community of Capitola have come out to support them, holding fundraisers, collecting $300,000 in donations, and proudly buying Capitola Boat and Bait Storm Recovery T-shirts.
"It means the world to me," said Williams. "It makes me tear up. It means the world that they love our business so much and that they want to help us keep the Capitola pier going. It just means so much to me. "
"I see the hope at the end of the road," said Morris. "That they will be coming back and that we will be back in business. And people will be making memories again."
It's been a tough year. But they continue looking ahead, hoping the new year brings their businesses back open, and they can return to serving the community they love.
The Capitola Wharf is expected to reopen in the Summer or Fall of 2024. Crews are just starting to repair the part of the pier that was ripped apart in the storm.
The reason it's taking so long to fix and reopen the wharf is because crews began working on the Wharf Improvement Project first, a renovation project that was already in the works to strengthen and expand the pier and add public restrooms.
While Capitola Boat & Bait could reopen later next year, the Wharf House restaurant could take longer to reopen. The City is still assessing the building to determine if the whole building will have to be torn down or not.
Ten oceanfront restaurants on the Esplanade were damaged from waves, driftwood, and debris from the Capitola Wharf slamming into them in the storm. Those businesses are all back open now.
