Bomb cyclone hits San Francisco area, causing massive coastal damage
Tori Richards
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A “bomb cyclone” storm slammed into California beach towns Thursday, ripping piers in half and flooding communities like scenes from a Hollywood movie.
Waves topping 35 feet were seen around the San Francisco Bay Area as residents evacuated from the coast and were told to avoid neighborhoods where multimillion-dollar houses face the ocean.
Residents are facing downed power lines as trees snapped like twigs and streets turned into rivers, according to government social media accounts.
The Santa Cruz California Highway Patrol office posted a video on Twitter with a storm surge where the ocean was just a few feet from front doors.
“Numerous closures in place today, due to high tidal surge. Here’s a view w/ @CapitolaPolice at the Stockton Ave bridge over Soquel Creek. Please exercise extreme caution near the ocean today,” police tweeted.
Santa Cruz County officials tweeted photos of a pier with a huge gaping hole and water washing over a coastal street.
In San Mateo County to the north, firefighters were inundated with calls of trees on top of homes and cars. The 911 calls came in nonstop, KTLA News reported.
San Francisco’s famed Embarcadero was also drenched, with waves spilling over docks and a ferry building.
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“As we prepare for the incoming weather, let’s take a moment to pause and look at the visible imagery and marvel at what Mother Nature is sending our way,” the National Weather Service Bay Area said Tuesday as it released an overhead photo of the massive bomb cyclone that looked like a wave.
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The storm hit the Bay Area on Wednesday and continued to pummel the coastline all the way to San Diego on Thursday.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) declared a state of emergency, which put the National Guard on alert and readied evacuation centers.