'Sea of Debris' Poses New Problem for California Amid Flooding

As California continues dealing with flooding from heavy rainstorms, one city is dealing with a "sea of debris" piled up onto a local beach.

A bomb cyclone brought up to 20 inches of rain to California, leading to flooding across the state, which is typically known for having a dry climate. So far, at least a dozen people have lost their lives in the powerful storms, as well as leading to substantial damage in coastal areas.

Footage of the widespread damage spread across social media, with new video emerging from the city of Capitola, a Santa Cruz suburb, showing a pile of storm debris on the city's beach.

Video of the beach was uploaded to Twitter by NBC News reporter Marissa Parra, who described it as a "sea of debris." The footage showed a massive pile of downed trees on the beach, with the town's pier broken in half in the background juxtaposed with a row of colorful buildings overlooking the gloomy scene.

"The leftovers from the last bomb cyclone pose a new challenge with new rain today," she tweeted. "Fallen trees / branches are creating dams in rivers *already cresting.*"

In addition to strong rain, the bomb cyclone also brought powerful winds to parts of California, knocking out trees and leaving more than 500,000 customers without power over the weekend.

Capitola City Manager Jamie Goldstein told Newsweek on Monday that he expects more debris to be revealed when high tide subsides and that the debris will be removed around May, ahead of the summer, as the city does not remove wood from the beach during the winter.

"I will note that as of right now, there is an evacuation order for the Capitola Village that includes the beach, so folks shouldn't be out there right now," he wrote.

Additionally, the rain loosened up soil, causing some trees to fall over, Dave Houk, a senior meteorologist for AccuWeather previously told Newsweek.

As the storms continue, local and state officials in California now face cleanup efforts across the state. Power restorations for residents remain underway, as more than 139,000 customers remained without power on Monday, and images of the storms' damage continued emerging on social media.

California Governor Gavin Newsom last week declared a state of emergency in anticipation of the storms, and President Joe Biden also issued an emergency declaration aimed at expediting the federal response.

Biden authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to "identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency," according to a White House statement.

California Highway Patrol posted a video of fallen trees in Santa Cruz creating a blockage in a river, forcing a road to close as the water levels rise. Several reservoirs in California continue to face higher than typical levels, creating concerns of more flooding.

"We're preparing for an emergency closure of the N/B # 2 lane on Hwy 1 s/of River Street due to removal of this log jam at the freeway over-crossing, as the San Lorenzo River continues to rise," they tweeted.

Journalist Kris Ankarlo shared video on Friday showing damage to the city's beachfront, tweeting: "In Capitola, the storm hit the village hard. Massive damage to a number of businesses right along the oceanfront."

Nine businesses suffered damage during the storm, according to city manager Goldstein. Additionally, city infrastructure including the Stockton Bridge suffered damage, with assessments expected to be conducted after Monday's storm passes.

Anyone wanting to assist in clean-up efforts can donate to the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County, Goldstein said.

Newsweek reached out to Capitola officials for comment.

Update 01/09/23 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Capitola City Manager Jamie Goldstein.