Raging Waves Batter California’s Coast and Its Beloved Piers

The towering waves that hammered California’s coast this week have been unusually destructive, killing at least one person and prompting warnings by officials to the public to stay away from the state’s beaches.

The tumultuous surf also ripped apart a historic wharf in Santa Cruz, prompting new questions about the future of the state’s beloved piers, as the sea grows ever more fierce amid climate change.

Every year, state and local officials — often with community support — pour millions of dollars into preserving the spindly wooden structures that have been a defining feature of California’s coastline dating back to the Gold Rush.

In San Luis Obispo County, part of the Cayucos Pier has been roped off since it was damaged in a ferocious storm earlier this year. The partial closure came less than a decade after the pier underwent a $3.5 million renovation that was supposed to sustain the structure for several decades.

In San Diego, the Ocean Beach pier, a nearly 2,000-foot concrete structure built in 1966, has been closed indefinitely, as city officials explore replacing it after having spent more than $1.7 million on repairs following storms over the past five years.