Long Beach is taking measures to strengthen its shoreline ahead of a storm expected to impact the area on Sunday morning. City officials reported that eight structures have been red-tagged as unsafe and one has been yellow-tagged. The damage has primarily affected the Alamitos Peninsula, where waves have damaged homes, a boardwalk, and washed away sand berms constructed after previous flooding incidents.
To mitigate further damage, the city has deployed heavy-duty sandbags to support a failing bulkhead. Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson stated, "These kinds of impacts are not normal. They’re unprecedented for our community, and while our crews have been working hard day and night, hundreds of employees and volunteers are responding and mitigating impacts. These continued threats have brought significant damage right to our shoreline’s front door."
The National Weather Service has warned that the threat of coastal flooding will persist through Sunday, particularly during the morning high tide, with water levels potentially reaching around 8 feet. The agency indicated that damaging sea-water coastal flooding is likely, especially near vulnerable south-facing beaches, highlighting Long Beach and Malibu as areas of concern.
This warning follows recent flooding in Long Beach and Newport Beach, prompting officials to prepare for more severe surf conditions along Southern California’s coast. Mayor Richardson noted that this marks the third hurricane in six weeks affecting the area, following Hurricane Marie and Hurricane Polo.
An evacuation order has been issued for the 6400 and 6500 blocks of Seaside Walk, where homes have already sustained damage. Officials are assessing whether the evacuation zone needs to be expanded. The city has distributed approximately 15,000 sandbags to residents in preparation for the storm, with 7,600 given out for this specific event.
Access to the Peninsula has been restricted to residents only, and officials are urging others to stay away to allow crews to work effectively. The weather service has issued a coastal flood warning for Los Angeles County beaches through 3 p.m. Sunday, along with a high surf advisory indicating waves of 4 to 7 feet, dangerous rip currents, and significant beach erosion. Rain is expected to spread across Los Angeles and Orange counties Saturday night into Sunday, with possible gusts of 50 to 60 mph in foothills and mountains. Residents and visitors are advised to avoid beaches, coastal walkways, and vulnerable roads, and to refrain from driving around barricades or through floodwaters of unknown depth.