Many in Big Sur remain cut off from the outside world.

Martha Karstens, chief of the Big Sur Volunteer Fire Brigade, has lived in Big Sur since 1971, and has seen her share of fire – and storm-related disasters. But she says the storms this winter – especially in the wake of last summer’s Soberanes Fire – have been the toughest disaster yet.

“There’s no light [at the end of the tunnel] right now,” she says. “You don’t know what to plan for.”

For at least another few weeks, a large portion of Big Sur – from south of the failing Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge all the way to Paul’s Slide, which is just south of Lucia – will remain an island, leaving around 350 residents with no road access to the outside world.

Caltrans spokesperson Susana Cruz says crews are working around the clock at Paul’s Slide in rotating 12-hour shifts to install a soil nail wall, which will stabilize the hillside, but that the situation remains dynamic.

“Dry weather after heavy rains does not mean slide activity is done,” she says. “Even after sunny weather, slides can move for up to 30 days.”

Caltrans has also been drilling into the soil around Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge as part of the process in assessing if and how a new bridge should get built, and is slated to release its investigative findings March 17.

Cruz says at that point Caltrans will know if the existing bridge is salvageable; regardless, even with Caltrans expediting the process, she estimates it will take six months to a year before the bridge reopens.

In the meantime, State Parks is doing its own assessment of the best trail route to provide pedestrian access around the bridge, but Brent Marshall, superintendent of the Monterey District for State Parks, says even that is complicated.

“There’s no trail there for a reason,” he says. “It doesn’t yield itself well to a regular parks trail.”

Marshall says portions of the contemplated route are steep, and with all the rains, the landscape is shifting.

“The physical work itself is not the challenging part, it’s finding the alignment that stands the test of time,” he says. “If things go well, it’ll be up and running in four or five weeks, but if there are more storms or slides, it’ll take a bit longer.”

To resupply groceries to those trapped on the island, the Coast Property Owners Association distributed a form for residents to create a shopping list, and the Safeway at the Carmel Crossroads has agreed to box up the orders for pick up by Monterey County Office of Emergency Services.

OES Director Gerry Malais says the county has hired a helicopter – $15,000 for six hours of time – to deliver the supplies, including diesel fuel, on March 3. But, Malais says, the county is unable to secure a helicopter big enough to resupply propane.

Sarah Davey, spokesperson for U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel Valley, says Panetta is in talks with the National Guard to see if the military might be able to deliver fuel to Big Sur from Fort Hunter Liggett to the east.

Until roads are fixed and access to the outside world is re-established, Karstens says residents will continue hunkering down, but right now, “it’s like an abandoned community.”

“It’s an unsettling feeling,” she says. “Everybody’s lives have been affected.”