Long Beach residents on Saturday braced for potentially heavy rain, strong winds, high tides and flooding, with Tropical Storm Rachel expected to close in on Southern California on Sunday, Oct. 11.
Mayor Rex Richardson and other city officials at a Saturday news conference said the fallout from the storm and two previous hurricanes that hit Long Beach since Labor Day weekend has been “unprecedented.”
“We have plans and systems in place to address natural disasters and other emergencies, but this is a sobering reminder of the power of nature and, most importantly, it’s a reminder of the importance of staying prepared,” Richardson said.
City officials warned the worst is ahead and urged residents citywide – not just in the Peninsula neighborhood – to sign up for Alert Long Beach, the city’s emergency notification system, and make sure they have sandbags for their homes, not only for this weekend but the upcoming El Nino season.
City officials said over 10,000 sandbags so far had been distributed ahead of Tropical Storm Rachel and about 17,000 across the three recent weather events. Residents can pick up sandbags at Fire Stations 7, 12, 13 and 14.
The mayor also urged people who don’t live in the Peninsula to stay away from the area to allow city crews to do their jobs.
On Friday, punishing waves battered the Peninsula, damaging a protective bulkhead, flooding nearby homes and streets and prompting evacuations, with 13 residences in eight buildings red-tagged and another building yellow-tagged after being swamped by unusually high tides, officials said Saturday.
“It’s bad. It’s going to be a lot of things to fix when this is over,” said Long Beach Peninsula resident Brian Gerrard on Saturday. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime storm. Who’s prepared for that?”
Other cities with south-facing beaches were also reeling this weekend.
Newport Beach temporarily closed the city’s piers and the Wedge on Saturday, as crews worked to alleviate coastal flooding, and as Tropical Storm Rachel approaches.
The closures came a day after powerful swells and unusually high tides sent seawater spilling onto streets in Newport Beach and Laguna Beach, forcing road closures and prompting crews to pump water from neighborhoods.
The National Weather Service has issued coastal flood warnings for Orange County and Los Angeles County beaches, including Long Beach and Malibu, until 3 a.m. Sunday, warning that damaging floods and beach erosion are likely. The warning will be followed by a coastal flood advisory from 3 p.m. Sunday until 2 p.m. Tuesday.
On Sunday, the morning high tide is forecast around 9:40 a.m. in Newport Beach and 9:50 a.m. in Long Beach, when powerful surf could again send seawater into vulnerable coastal communities.
High tides are expected to reach between 7.3 and 7.5 feet along the Los Angeles County coast this weekend.
In Long Beach on Saturday morning, a city crew remained at 63rd Place and Ocean Boulevard, pumping water from the ocean that was traveling toward Ocean Boulevard back out toward Alamitos Bay as nearby residents milled about, observing the scene and taking photos or videos on their phones. One man wheeled a cart full of sandbags, presumably back to his home.
Jim Gesner, a 16-year resident of the Peninsula community, said his home on 67th Place hasn’t been directly impacted by the flooding, but he spent the last couple days moving some items from the first floor to higher ground as a precaution.
He recalled some flooding about 11 years ago but said it was nothing like what the city is facing this weekend.
“I feel really bad for my neighbors who have property on the beach. They’re losing their houses,” he said, adding that many residents don’t bother purchasing flood insurance because it’s so expensive.
At the same time, Gesner said it was reassuring to see more city workers out Saturday morning, helping pump out the ocean water to keep the street from flooding. Ocean Boulevard was flooded from about 62nd to 65th Place on Friday morning before City workers cleared much of the water out by about noon, he said.
“I think they’re doing what they can at the moment,” he said.
An announcement from Newport Beach on Saturday morning said all beaches were closed, but by early afternoon they were re-opened, the city said, though the piers and the beach from M Street to the Wedge surfing spot remained off-limits. Officials urged people to stay off sand berms to protect public safety and prevent damage to the berms.
While the flooding receded along the Balboa Peninsula Saturday morning with higher berms and overnight pumping, footage from Long Beach showed waves continuing to hit the damaged boardwalk near East Ocean Boulevard and 68th Place. Some sand berms built after the previous round of high surf were washed away in spots. Damage was visible to the boardwalk, with debris floating offshore as waves washed around and beneath waterfront homes.
The NWS warned that Sunday could bring even higher water levels if lower atmospheric pressure associated with Rachel and stronger onshore winds coincide with the morning high tide.
Rachel is expected to track well south of Los Angeles County, but moisture drawn northward by a low-pressure system was expected to bring periods of light to moderate rain beginning as early as Saturday evening, according to the weather service. It was already drizzling in Newport Beach and Long Beach as early as noon.
As of Saturday morning, Rachel had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph and was moving northeast at 22 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm’s precise track remained uncertain, but forecasters said its center was most likely to move into northern Baja California, south of the U.S.-Mexico border, by evening.
A less likely track farther north could increase rainfall and wind impacts in Southern California.
A high surf advisory is in effect for Los Angeles County beaches from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, with waves of 4 to 7 feet expected, along with strong rip currents and significant beach erosion.
Large breaking waves could sweep people off beaches and rocks or capsize small boats near shore, the National Weather Service warned.
Orange County beaches could see surf of 5 to 7 feet, with local sets reaching 9 feet Sunday. On Saturday morning, the Crystal Cove Conservancy announced it would temporarily close some of its popular beachfront vacation cottages.
Steve Robles’ home on Bay Shore Walk is right on the water of Long Beach’s Alamitos Bay. He knows there’s a chance the water level could rise and flood his home.
“I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. If it happens, it happens,” Robles said with a shrug on Saturday.
He said he was less concerned about damage to the things inside his home than he was possible damage to his car, which was parked in an outdoor lot. Without a car, he said, he wouldn’t be able to go to work or important appointments.
Robles, who moved to Long Beach three years ago, said he was considering moving his car and parking it somewhere outside of the Peninsula to be safe.
One of his neighbors, meanwhile, had been busy putting sandbags up against her garage, concerned that water might get into the elevator shaft and damage equipment.
The red-tagged and yellow-tagged buildings are all along the 6400 and 6500 blocks of East Seaside Walk. A red tag indicates that a structure is unsafe for entry and a yellow tag indicates that a building owner can enter temporarily to gather belongings but cannot stay until the house is deemed structurally safe.
Long Beach Fire Chief Dennis Buchanan said the mandatory evacuation of the homes there is expected to remain in place until noon Tuesday, though that timeline is subject to change depending on conditions.
City manager Tom Modica outlined a seven-point plan to strengthen protection of the peninsula and to address immediate and longer-term coastal resiliency. The work would involve repairing damages, replenishing sand on the beach, creating additional protection and pursuing longer-term solutions and funding, he said.
Part of that work includes making repairs along the coast, including to the damaged bulkhead and boardwalk. Crews have already been reinforcing the boardwalk, and, if conditions are safe enough, a contractor will begin making permanent repairs starting Monday or Tuesday, Modica said.
That project had originally been estimated to cost $1 million to $1.5 million, but with additional damages from Rachel, city officials now believe it will cost between $1.5 million and $3.5 million. The money will come out of a tidelines emergency reserve account, not the city’s general fund or general emergency reserves, Modica said.
In addition, Modica said, starting Saturday, crews will begin moving 50,000 to 100,000 cubic yards of sand onto the peninsula to help build out the beach since the recent storm and hurricanes have caused substantial beach erosion.
In Newport Beach, city crews spent Friday into Saturday pumping seawater from flooded streets and reinforcing sand berms to protect vulnerable neighborhoods.
The flooding came just days before a Newport Beach City Council study session scheduled for 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, to discuss severe beach erosion, sand replenishment and possible long-term shoreline protection strategies.
Councilmember Erik Weigand visited the Balboa Peninsula on Friday with Brett Sanders, a professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of UC Irvine’s Climate Collaboration, to survey the flooding.
“I don’t see this ending,” Weigand said. “Maybe this El Nino comes and goes, but what about the next El Nino. What does it mean for our residence, tourism and our businesses?”
The flooding concerns could persist well beyond this weekend.
Sanders said tides are expected to reach about 7 feet around Thanksgiving and Christmas. If Kelvin waves — ocean disturbances that can temporarily raise sea levels — persist, water levels could rise as much as 2 feet above normal, potentially producing 9-foot tides.
“Pray there aren’t waves at the same time,” Sanders said. “If the waves come at the same time, we’re in for a lot of trouble.”
City News Service contributed to this report.