SANTA CRUZ — After weeks of rain-soaked soils and related flooding, the National Weather Service’s high surf advisory, extending through Saturday morning, had emergency responders on edge this week.

The weather agency warned of large breaking waves of 15 to 20 feet throughout the greater San Francisco Bay Area, expected to continue to pound the county’s damaged coastline and offer dangerous swimming conditions. Ahead of the worst projected impacts, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office issued a flood evacuation warning Thursday afternoon to neighborhoods along Beach Drive, Las Olas Drive and Potbelly Beach Road, citing the expected increased tide, high surf and existing reduction of beach sand.

At the same time, widespread national news coverage of Santa Cruz County’s severe weather impacts has reached Bolinas resident Lloyd Kahn reminiscing about another of the area’s most significant storms, in December 1955. Kahn told the Sentinel about being a 20-year-old who seized the opportunity to grab his surfboard and roommate George Kovalenko and put their surfboards in the San Lorenzo River on the outskirts of the city so they could paddle all the way to the river. Kahn, now an 87-year-old author and publisher, described the duo as “just a couple of dumbass surfers” weathering winter conditions in the days before the modern wetsuit came into popularity.

“There were refrigerators and cars and sections of houses going down the river and every bridge was demolished. We were paddling to stay away from all the stuff that was bobbing around in the water. It was fun, because we weren’t standing up but we were going pretty fast,” Kahn said. “The bridges were collapsed, but we got under sections of all them.”

Asked if the two men suffered any consequences for their dangerous actions at the time, Kahn said they managed to elude charges.

“(Authorities) accosted us when we got down there,” Kahn said of arriving at the river mouth. “I don’t know why they were going to arrest us, what the charges would have been, but they got diverted and we slipped out of there. So, we got away.”

Responding to the call

Authorities with local fire agencies, among the first to respond to flooding as well as ocean, river and stream rescues, told the Sentinel on Thursday that they were gearing up — once again — for a likely increased response in coming days. Whether it be for those caught in unexpectedly rising waters, thrill seekers without the sense to stay safe or dry-land observers who get too close to the water, officials said they had already undertaken plenty of water rescues this year.

Mike DeMars, spokesman for Central Fire District of Santa Cruz County, said the more than 300 response calls for his agency have been unusually high this month, though he could not say what percentage were related to water rescues alone.

“A lot of responses during storms are in regards to people either trying to surf the swells or getting too close to the ocean to try and take photos,” DeMars said. “We encourage people not to go toward the ocean during storms because it’s unpredictable. People, sometimes, they want to go look, they want to go see the big waves, they want to take pictures, they want to see the damages, not realizing that they’re putting themselves in harm’s way. Look at it from a distance or watch it on TV.”

Santa Cruz Fire Department’s Marine Safety Capt. Brian Thomas said that people were out in the water Thursday, taking the risk even with plenty of debris floating around them and jammed onto beaches and stairways. He described a tree’s root ball, larger than a truck, lodged on Main Beach. With the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor’s entrance largely unnavigable due to washed-up silt, Harbor Patrol boats cannot assist in ocean rescues, Thomas said. While the marine division has jet skis, conditions and water debris make the waterways frequently unsafe to navigate, he said.

“The only thing we’ve got in our favor is the winds are not favorable for surf conditions,” Thomas said from the Lifeguard Quarters on the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf on Thursday morning. “It’s making the ocean very crossed up with a side wind. Even right now, looking at eight or so people in the water, it’s not good waves that they’re catching. So, it’s really keeping the crowds down to a minimum. People that understand the ocean know that it’s not fun to go out right now.”