ABSTRACT
Griggs, G. and Davar, L., 0000. A tale of three winters: Repeated extreme event damage along the Central California Coast.
California's coastal counties, which account for about 70% of the state's population and its marine economy contributes $51.3 billion annually to California’s gross domestic product, have experienced multiple destructive extreme events over the past three winters. Repeated coastal storms significantly damaged public infrastructure, homes, businesses, and resources on which coastal communities depend. It is estimated that the California coastal storms between December 2022 and March 2023 alone caused $4.7 billion in economic losses. The frequency and severity of recent coastal flooding and associated impacts emphasize that projected future extreme events are already happening and adversely affecting coastal cities and counties. This study explores the phenomena and consequences of the extreme storms that hit the Central California Coast in the 2022–23, 2023–24, and 2024–25 winters. The intensification and the frequency of recent coastal storms and the magnitude of social and economic impacts highlight that it is time to rethink the typical historic responses of repairing, rebuilding, and reopening. Time is running out and action is needed to develop new or reassess the existing adaptive management strategies and accelerate their implementation to prevent or at least reduce the potential damage from future natural disasters to coastal assets, coastal infrastructure, and the well-being and livelihood of coastal communities.
