A City of Fort Bragg official has confirmed that a section of bluff collapsed in the area of the Pomo Bluffs on Todd’s Point.
John Smith, Fort Bragg’s Director of Public Works, was on site of the collapse and warned locals and tourists that this event is expected. He attributed the event to the recent rainstorms and surf pounding the shoreline.
Smith specified the trail was not affected but said the collapse moved the cliff’s edge closer to the walking path. Public works have marked off the area and asked the public to avoid the area.
Smith said the collapse is a reminder of why signs line the edge of these steep bluffs telling visitors to steer clear due to the instability of the earth below.
A photograph of the collapse sent to us by Shannan Nicole points eastward towards Fort Bragg’s Cliff House and the Noyo Bridge with a clear view of the collapsed bluff.
This collapse is a stark reminder of a recent study we covered by researchers at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography measuring the rate California’s coastal cliffs collapsing into the Pacific. Their findings indicate that the cliffs of the iconic Lost Coast, the coastline straddling the Mendocino and Humboldt County border, are crumbling into the sea faster than any in the Golden State.
I hope Mr. Smith’s axels didn’t buckle going down Harbor Ave. Fix the dang potholes!