Santa Cruz Flood -- December 1955.

The "Christmas Flood of '55" hit Santa Cruz, California, on the evening of December 22, 1955. The Santa Cruz Sentinel for the week of December 22, 1955 has coverage of this flood. In this storm, which caused the highest flooding in Santa Cruz history, 90 percent of the damage in the county occurred within the city, and ran into the millions of dollars.

Santa Cruz Flood -- January 1982.

The flood began in Santa Cruz County, California, on January 4, 1982. Coverage of the flood can be found in the Santa Cruz Sentinel for the week of January 4, 1982. Also, the San Francisco Chronicle, January 13, 1982, lists the damages from the Santa Cruz County flood: 22 dead, 50 injured, 400 people displaced, 135 homes destroyed, 300 homes damaged, $50 million in private damages, and $56.5 million in public damages. In contrast to 1955, 90 percent of the 1982 storm damage in Santa Cruz County was outside of the city limits, but this storm is remembered for the collapse of the Soquel Avenue Bridge.

See also:

"Floods" in the Clipping Files at Central Branch Reference and Disasters and Calamities in the Local History section of the Santa Cruz Public Libraries Web site.

Verified by: GM, 6/98

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