North Santa Cruz Harbor boat residents still dealing with damages

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION-TV) -- The storm that hit the Santa Cruz Harbor last month left a devastating aftermath. This includes one boat owner facing major challenges. Without power, water, or proper restroom facilities, many harbor residents are unsure of where to go and what to do next.

Debris still surrounds the north harbor and one boat owner shared how he and many others were without electricty, water, and basic facilities, leaving many scrambling for solutions, with little help.

Broken docks and debris could still be seen in the water at the north harbor after massive waves caused damage to vessels. For boat owners like Don Adams who’s had his boat in the Harbor since 2006, the recovery is slow and uncertain

"It went on for hours, probably ten hours a probably. You know, and 10 to 8 feet rollers. Problem is, in the back of the harbor, it's all blocked in," Adams said. "So the back waves come back, and then they get together and throw everything up in the air. So it had broken all your docks off. You go through underwater, upside down, capsized."

While some boat owners are lucky enough to keep their vessels, many are struggling to make repairs, waiting on insurance adjusters and a lengthy recovery process..

"But everybody's waiting for the insurance adjusters right now. There's only a few around, and they're all but you see a lot of people, some folks, if they actually haul out, they might not ever get back in because it didn't have insurance," Adams said.

With docks being destroyed and vital services like electricity and water cut off some are relying on one another for basic necessities.

"Everybody's helping each other out. A lot of port-a-potties going out. But, yeah, everybody has been getting together, bringing water and helping other folks out," Adams said. "So it's really it's a really tight knit community because everybody relies on each other. We all tie onto each other."

While some are managing to repair what they can, many boat owners are struggling financially. For some, the storm has displaced them with no clear timeline for recovery

"They're saying it might be years before anybody can come back, which is really a bummer. A lot of people are really misplaced. Like no bathrooms, electricity, water," Adams said. "All the big boats are pretty much gone. Just the little sailboats. The folks don't really have anything to work with. They're still there."

They can’t, afford to fix the damage, it's just they can't afford it. Many people on the dry dock had a lot of damages done to their boats. Adams has had a broken window.

“Then, there were door jams broke and like nothing, lines up the doors that open and close. These were all been pulled off, so we had to pay to have the metal redone," Adams said. "Still got 100% because we have these ratchets to pull everything in tight to get them to fit again.”

With just two days left to find a place to dock, don is uncertain where he and his boat will go next.

"Don't know yet. I gotta find out from the Harbor office this morning where I can be placed," Adams said. "I have a business on Ocean Street, so I have to be there for a while. This goes somewhere till I can get a place to park it because it's so big."

The Santa Cruz Harbor Patrol says that they're also anticipating needing to replace several docks and piling infrastructure.