Supplies Airlifted to 400 Stranded in Big Sur

Monterey County airlifted fuel, food, water, pet food and other vital supplies to 400 stranded people in Big Sur on Friday.

Landslides near Paul’s Slide to the south and the fractured Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge to the north made a portion of Highway 1 impassable, totally isolating the community.

Slides have affected the region for weeks and the bridge has been closed since mid-February due to storm-related damage.

Mary Adams, a Monterey County supervisor, said the county is in a dire situation.

“The road is closed,” Adams said. “What people don't seem to understand is that you cannot drive from Big Sur anywhere because the road has washed out at key points. There is no other way out. So, they are absolutely stuck.”

Residents submitted their shopping lists, and volunteers from Carmel Valley Middle School bought the supplies early Friday at a Safeway in Monterey County. The supplies were brought to Big Sur State Park, where a helicopter took multiple trips to deliver everything to the community.

About 35 students are among the residents stranded.

“I drove one of the trucks down today.  And on my truck, I had a box of homework for the children that are isolated on the south side of the bridge,” Adams said.

She added that there was a note attached to one of the books that said, “We miss you in science class, Sarah.”

The soonest way out is expected to be through the south end of Highway 1 when emergency services clear the landslides. Adams says it will take residents nearly three hours to exit south through the highway and loop around to the northern part of Big Sur on the other side of Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge. The bridge is expected to be demolished and replaced with a steel bridge, which the county currently predicts to take up to one year to build.

“These are very real problems that we’re facing here. Businesses are closed. People cannot get in or out of Big Sur. The community is split,” Adams said.

The Big Sur Fire Brigade and the California Conservation Corps are working now to create a walking trail out of the area, but Adams said the 30-minute hike may not be accessible for all of the stranded residents.

“The people who live in Big Sur are a very community-oriented and a truly resilient group of people. So they’re doing very well. We’ve received no complaints from people. They only ask what they can do to help one another,” Adams said.

There are no solid predictions of when roads will be restored to allow vehicular access, but Monterey County is currently seeking funds from the state and federal governments to expedite the process. The county plans to airlift more supplies to the community if it does not clear roads by mid-March.