VENTURA, Calif — After a rogue wave destroyed the first floor of her Pierpont beach hotel this week, owner Judy Thomas feels heartbroken as she watches repair crews remove everything from the building. 

“My husband and I bought it in 1998, and it was his baby, and unfortunately he passed away two years ago,” she said.

The wave hit the first floor of the Inn on the Beach Hotel with such force, it broke all the windows and sliding doors. Crews are pulling out carpets, furniture, even wall treatments and wallpaper – nothing from the first floor is salvageable, and will likely have to be pulled back to the studs.

Spectrum News spoke with Thomas and a few other residents who were impacted by the wild surf conditions, as they are managing cleanup while also bracing for a second storm.

Thomas says the inn likely won’t open for several weeks, and only the second and third floors will be operational.