Scenic Road to reopen on Friday morning

CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, Calif., (KION-TV)- UPDATE ON APRIL 12, 2023 ON 1:12 PM- Monterey County officials announced during their press briefing that Scenic Road will be reopening on Friday morning at 9:30 a.m.

Nick Pasculli who is the Communications Director for Monterey County said that crews will be removing the road closure signs on the road.

Scenic Road has been closed since early January after parts of the road were damaged due to the winter storms.

Neighbors in Carmel area react to strong storm

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office downgraded some of the evacuation orders to warnings. But Scenic Road is one of multiple road closures throughout the area. 

Powerful waves spilled onto parts of Highway 1. The gusty winds even shook cameras that belonged to our KION team. Mark Mammal, who lives in Carmel, said this big storm has been incredible. 

Mammal is worried about some family members in town, who are staying in the lower areas.

“They're actually staying at a house just off Missionary Beach,” said Mammal. “We were worried that they would lose power. The owner actually called them and told them that Highway 1 might be closed north of where they are and that they might not be able to get out.”

Mammal said he stocked up on supplies in case his relatives needed to stay with him. 

But it’s not just flooding that people are worried about. 

“I was more worried about the wind and the trees that are in the area because when you live in an area that doesn’t get water year-round, the ground’s incredibly dry,” said Joshua Pavloff who lives in Carmel Mid Valley. “So once things get saturated those things come down really quick.”

Public Works said it's staffed up its crews and will be working 12 hour shifts.

“We’re actively responding to the tree downed calls,” said Randell Ishii, the Public Works Director of Monterey County.

Over at Carmel River State Beach, the storm was so strong, part of the ocean water overflowed. Multiple people told KION they’ve never seen a storm like this. 

“We are prepared,” said Sheriff Tina Nieto with the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office. “But again, preparedness is one thing and Mother Nature is another thing.”

CAL FIRE said it'll be keeping a close eye on the ocean tides, especially well into the night.