A high tide and big waves kept first responders busy last Thursday morning at the Oceano Dunes.
California State Parks and Cal Fire SLO helped evacuate campers in the area due to the high water levels.
The chief ranger for California State Parks at the Oceano Dunes District, Kevin Pearce, says the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area is in the process of being repaired.
“The large surf damaged and destroyed some fencing in Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area which has subsequently been replaced and repaired. The Pier Avenue entrance experienced erosion which damaged and destroyed a small section of fencing and eroded the edges of the roadway,” stated Pearce.
State parks officials say the road along Pier Avenue is still safe for drivers to use and will be repaired in the near future.
Pearce says the facilities at the dunes are in good order to continue to operate and provide access to the public.
Some say they were shocked to see the damage the waves caused last week.
“First reaction was — just a tremendous storm that we had,” said Travis Dumong, a San Luis Obispo resident. “I think the incidents that we had at the Oceano Dunes could've been semi-prevented by evacuations.”
“We now live in Colorado, so we’re here visiting, and even our neighbors over there knew,” said Charlie Halsell, a former Grover Beach resident. “They’d show us footage of the pier and the waves coming up underneath the surfboards there on the stairs.”
Some say it’s important to take precautions and use local resources during the state of an emergency.
“If you’ve got the warning, you should take heat of it,” said Dumong. “It’s just the same thing. If it’s a fire. If it’s an earthquake. If it’s a flood. All those. I mean they put those warnings for us for a reason. We have to follow those.”
“Use the resources around you but don’t let it keep you inside in fear,” said Halsell.
READYSLO.org has the latest emergency resources available for residents across San Luis Obispo County to stay prepared for the next natural disaster.
