Southern California Waves Damage Homes and Trigger Evacuations

Powerful surf linked to the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel damaged coastal homes, washed out sections of boardwalk and triggered evacuations in Long Beach and Dana Point on Oct. 11 and Oct. 12, as Southern California officials rushed to shore up beaches and brace for more high tides.

According to NBC Los Angeles and The New York Times, 13 homes on the Long Beach Peninsula were red-tagged and one was yellow-tagged. Nine homes remained under evacuation orders and 39 others were under evacuation warnings as inspectors continued assessing structural risks.

According to ABC7, Dana Point reported seven homes red-tagged, 13 yellow-tagged, two homes demolished and one more scheduled for demolition in the Capistrano Bay District. The outlet reported some sidewalks had buckled into the water and several homes on Beach Road suffered major wave damage.

Long Beach officials said the main threat was erosion beneath buildings and sea defenses after repeated storms over six weeks. The city had already declared a local emergency last month after Hurricane Marie, a move officials said improved its ability to respond to flooding, coastal erosion and infrastructure damage.

"We continue to do a lot of work, and then unfortunately have to restart that work after we have a significant high tide event with that wave activity," said Jake Heflin, Long Beach Fire Department Assistant Chief.

Heflin said emergency crews were trying to limit further losses while repairs continued on the peninsula. He said the focus remained on stabilizing vulnerable areas.

"The biggest concern is undermining of the foundations, so we’ve done a lot of work to identify and isolate that to the best of our ability," he said.

Mayor Rex Richardson said the storm pattern had pushed local infrastructure beyond what it was built to withstand. He had earlier warned residents that Rachel's effects could spread beyond the peninsula and urged them to keep sandbags ready through the El Niño season, according to The New York Times.

"Rachel’s effects will reach the whole city, not just the peninsula," Mayor Rex Richardson said.

Richardson later said the city was using lessons from the current damage to prepare for additional severe weather. According to NBC Los Angeles, there was no timeline for lifting evacuation orders or warnings.

"These events are happening at a pace that is unprecedented in our community," said Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson.

City officials said the peninsula had been struck by three major tropical systems in six weeks. Richardson said the cleanup and protection work would continue as Long Beach prepared for the rest of the season.

"Three major storm events, tropical storms and hurricanes within six weeks is unprecedented. Our infrastructure wasn't designed or built for this," he said.

Richardson said the city expected more rough conditions ahead and was planning stronger defenses. Newport Beach, meanwhile, reinforced large sand berms that ABC7 said helped prevent fresh coastal flooding near homes and businesses.

"We have to prepare for even more severe conditions through this El Niño season," Richardson said.

He said the current emergency response would also shape future protection plans for the coastline. Elsewhere, Laguna Beach activated its emergency operations center, while The Wedge and city piers in Newport Beach remained closed, according to ABC7.

"Our responsibility is to use what we're learning now to build stronger protections for the future," Richardson said.

In Dana Point, residents described how quickly erosion changed conditions around homes built on sand. ABC7 reported one neighboring house fell after its deck gave way, deepening fears among homeowners waiting to see whether more properties would be lost.

"I came home, and on the 9th, we came in, and our deck was starting to cave," Torres said.

Torres said she then checked nearby homes and saw how fast the destruction spread. She described the pace of damage as immediate and alarming.

"And then I went to the neighbors two doors down and saw their entire deck was off. And I saw their deck the first day that it was off, the second day, their house fell. I mean, it happened that fast," Torres said.

She said the neighborhood's construction made it especially exposed to fast-moving erosion. ABC7 reported that some properties also carried decades of family history.

"Our homes are on sand, and so, our slab is just straight on sand. So what happens is, the water is eroding the sand so quickly, and the house fell overnight," Torres said. "We couldn't believe it! Because it was like, 'This is reality now.'"

In Newport Beach, visitors watching the emergency work said the scale of the berm-building stood out. ABC7 reported city crews and contractors had worked around the clock with excavators and bulldozers to reinforce the shoreline.

"I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s amazing how quickly they got this done, because I was here last week, and they didn’t have all this. They hadn’t implemented this yet," said Dustin Hopkins of Newport Beach.

Another observer said the amount of earthmoving was substantial as crews continued coastal protection work. According to ABC7, the berms rose to heights comparable to the Balboa Pier in some places.

"It’s a lot of work. I’m actually, I’m a contractor in Utah and own excavators, and I was joking that we should bring them down here and run them down here, but yeah, they’re doing a lot of work. They’re moving a lot of dirt," Redmond said.