On Thursday I hoped on my bicycle during a break in the rain and headed for the blow-out on Bayocean Road that cut us off from access to Bayocean Road.  Along the way I stopped to capture some of the damage caused by the multiple landslides along Bayocean and the other spots where I thought a picture might help us all understand the extent of the storm damage.

I also took pictures in the regular areas along the way when water tends to collect on the road because of low spots.  We can usually deal with this fairly easily.

I did discover that our beloved BayOcean sign by the lake was damaged.  I also saw that the boat in the bay that has been used to harvest oysters is now fully underwater.  I encountered someone near the spot where the culvert was seriously damaged who was making his way to the boat to see if it could be salvaged.  Apparently the owner of the boat had been unable to keep it from sinking  in the storm.  Even if water could be bailed out the motor is probably toast.

The blow-out is pretty impressive.  Notice on the pictures where there is a clear marking to not even walk across the area.  I can tell you there is no way I would have walked across because the asphalt was only about an inch thick because of all of the action of the water.  A new culvert can’t be installed until all of the water from that property has been drained back into the bay.  We hope a temporary bridge can be installed over the damaged area.

Our community is facing serious transportation and water-related problems.  This event has made it clear that we need to prepare for future events.  Many of us may focus on the big tsunami event.  I’ve b been impressed by the extent of the damage caused by this winter storm event.  Emergency preparedness is very important for our small community,

Enjoy viewing the pictures.