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County, federal officials tour Aptos to survey damage

February 18, 2017

APTOS -- The bout of storms that battered Santa Cruz County and much of Northern California has taken a toll, eroding away roads that have stood for decades and toppling trees.

Damage in Santa Cruz County is estimated to be at least $30 million and the cost most certainly increase as crews continue to survey the damage. Officials are looking to state and federal agencies for monetary help with the repairs. On Saturday, Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel, toured parts of Aptos with county officials to get a first-hand view of the storm damage.

Officials showed him a section of collapsing road near Soquel Drive and Trout Gulch Road. Small fissures opened up on the black top and county officials fenced off the road as a safety precaution.

The section of road is a key shortcut for residents in the area and travel time has more than quadrupled for some in the area, Panetta said.

"You can only appreciate that by getting out there and doing the drive," Panetta said.

The road has disrupted nearby Valencia Elementary School, where classes will move to various neighboring schools.

"You have these communities that feel isolated by this and it's our job to make sure that they know we're there for them," Panetta said.

Also along for the ride were officials from the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office, Aptos/La Selva Fire Protection District and the Santa Cruz Board of Supervisors.

Fire Protection Chief Jon Jones said the road's closure potentially affects the response time for his department. The department has come up with contingency plans to access remote residents, including parking a SUV equipped with life support equipment along the isolated road.

"All kinds of contingency plans are in place," he said. "It's just when do we make use of them.

The tour continued and the crew took in scenes from collapsed roads at Soquel Drive near Aptos Street and Valencia Road. One area saw the road slide down more than 40 feet, with the debris marked by a road slanted road sign jutting out of the mud.

Amy Neiblum, 56, was out walking her dog when the officials stopped by a mudslide near her home. She said she remembers hearing the dull thud of the redwood trees as they took down the phone lines a week before. She's been without phone her home phone since then.

"I didn't think it was that much more severe than its been in the past," she said of the storms. "We've always had inclement weather. Yet everything seems to be falling apart."

While she wants the county and state to intervene and work as quickly as possible, she's concerned by the sheer amount of damage thus far.

County officials say there are at least 120 places with specific damages reported across the county, with more incidents likely to be reported. The priority will be the emergency access roads, evacuation routes and main arteries.

Supervisor Zach Friend said the tour could help expedite the response on the federal level, where Panetta operates. If the county could secure an emergency order, crews could minimize the red tape in the process and move quicker to rebuild roads. The county has plans for temporary and permanent structures and is waiting for support.

"If we have to go through a full process, that'll delay access for residents back here and we don't want to do that," he said.