Long Beach Homes Marked Unsafe as Tropical Storm Rachel Pounds the Southern California Coast
Inspectors red-tagged eight buildings containing 13 homes as crews reinforced the damaged boardwalk and bulkhead with sandbags and emergency repairs.
- On Saturday, Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson announced that inspectors red-tagged eight structures, covering 13 addresses, as severe coastal flooding from Tropical Storm Rachel rendered them unsafe to enter.
- Tropical Storm Rachel, the third storm impacting the region in six weeks, is driving powerful swells that have breached seawalls and washed away sand berms along vulnerable coastlines. The National Weather Service issued a coastal flood warning through Sunday.
- Crews are using construction cranes to drop massive 3,000 lb. sandbags to support failing bulkheads, while the city has distributed 10,000 sandbags to residents. Officials remain unsure how much of the estimated $1 million spent on emergency response will be reimbursed by state and federal disaster relief funds.
- Mandatory evacuation orders remain in effect for homes on Seaside Walk through Tuesday, with Mayor Rex Richardson stating, "These kinds of impacts are not normal." Authorities urge beachgoers to stay out of the water and avoid driving through flooded roads.
- City Manager Tom Modica reported crews moved 45,000 cubic yards of sand to add 200 feet of beach width, with a follow-up project starting the week of Oct. 19 to add up to 100,000 cubic yards and install a new low-profile rock abutment.
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72 Articles
Tropical Storm Rachel has made landfall in California with less force than forecast, but it has still left a trail of damage. In Long Beach, large waves destroyed homes on the coast, and other areas were flooded. Meteorologists warn that similar situations could happen again soon. They will be caused by a combination of rising Pacific Ocean levels, a strong El Niño phenomenon and other tropical storms.
Why California suffered major coastal damage after Rachel weakened
Tropical Storm Rachel weakened before reaching Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, but the storm still left a trail of damage along Southern California’s coast as powerful waves battered beaches, damaged homes and washed away parts of a historic boardwalk.
Huge waves have damaged the California coast. In the Long Beach area, eight buildings have been declared life-threatening, and several residents have been evacuated.
Tropical Rainstorm Rachel sends waves into California homes
Waves driven by Tropical Rainstorm Rachel smashed through glass windows and doors in Long Beach, California, sending seawater into living rooms and leaving a row of oceanfront homes unsafe to occupy. Powerful surf tore apart shoreline defenses, flooding properties and forcing residents out along a coast already stripped of protective sand. "There's a lot of stuff getting exposed out here that's just mind-blowing. It's mind-blowing," resident Mig…
High waves, shifting sand, and wobbly houses. Tropical Storm Rachel brought hardship to coastal areas in California. Seawater surged into homes and roads, and many buildings were declared unsafe.
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