A high-priced beachfront home on the California coast began giving way to the ocean Friday after powerful swells generated by Hurricane Rachel ripped away nearly 30 feet of the Long Beach Peninsula boardwalk.
The waves slammed into the boardwalk at about 9 a.m., threatening a row of homes valued at roughly $1 million to $7 million and raising fears that some could be claimed by the sea.
Dramatic video from the 6500 block of Seaside Walk showed towering surf pounding a house up to its second-floor windows. Portions of the structure, along with splintered boardwalk debris, were swept into the ocean.
Nearby side streets and patios were also submerged, while floodwater poured into homes and left surrounding properties severely damaged.
‘This is easily the most damage I have seen over the past couple of weeks,’ said KTLA’s Rich Prickett, whose television crew surveyed the destruction from a helicopter.
‘Now the entire boardwalk is just starting to shred away, and now some of these homes are being impacted even more severely,’ he added.
‘As you’re seeing this house right here that’s starting to crumble as that erosion just continues underneath the house.’
As residents waded through water reaching their shins, crews descended on the normally lush area Friday to assess the flooding, pump water from the streets and reinforce the exposed shoreline with about 1,000 sandbags.
A California beachfront home began collapsing toward the ocean Friday after hurricane-driven waves tore away nearly 30 feet of boardwalk.
Waves battered the Long Beach Peninsula boardwalk at around 9 a.m., placing neighboring homes worth between $1 million and $7 million in danger.
Video captured enormous swells striking a home on the 6500 block of Seaside Walk and reaching its second-story windows as pieces of the building were swept offshore.
Floodwater inundated nearby streets and patios, causing additional property damage.
KTLA News reporter Rich Prickett, reporting from a helicopter, said: ‘This is easily the most damage I have seen over the past couple of weeks’
Crews responded Friday as residents stood in shin-deep water and officials examined flooding in the usually verdant neighborhood.
According to Long Beach Post News., city inspectors attributed the destruction to intense surf and elevated tides that eroded the shoreline and tore apart a wooden barrier that had been protecting the area from the waves.
Officials said waves associated with Hurricane Marie had also stripped sand from a broad section of the bulkhead, which suffered extensive damage during the previous day. The breach then allowed seawater to rush into nearby homes and streets.
Two houses, including the property that appeared closest to collapse, were issued red tags and declared unsafe for entry.
No residents were displaced, city spokesperson Craig Nakano told the outlet. One of the homes was being built, while the other had been verified as vacant.
A third property received a yellow tag, permitting its owner to enter briefly and collect belongings. Nakano said the resident had already arranged alternative accommodation.
The safety designations may not be permanent. Inspectors can change a red tag to yellow after repairs are completed and the property is approved, with officials scheduled to conduct inspections twice a day.
Officials are continuing to assess the threat and determine whether evacuation orders will be necessary as another round of severe weather looms.
‘We’re taking a look, especially with that tide and that flow coming in,’ Long Beach Fire Department spokesperson Melanie Miller said, according to KTLA.
City inspectors blamed the damage on powerful surf and high tides that chewed away at the shoreline, ripping apart a wooden wall that served as the last line of defense
Officials also said waves from Hurricane Marie stripped away the sand protecting a large section of the bulkhead, which sustained severe damage over the past day
Two homes, including the one that appeared to be on the verge of collapse, were red-tagged, meaning they were deemed unsafe to enter
Pictured: residents taking belongings out of homes
Pictured: Officials pump water off streets and shore up the exposed section with roughly 1,000 sandbags
The threat is far from over, with residents now preparing for a storm surge of about seven feet on Monday, according to the National Weather Service
‘Taking a look at what type of water intrusion, and really just assessing those damages and having our command staff figure out that next move,’ she added.
The threat is far from over, with residents now preparing for a storm surge of about seven feet on Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
‘Sunday night into Monday, we’re going to see even stronger waves coming in,’ meteorologist Henry DiCarlo said, according to KTLA.
‘We have the swells from Rachel, we have the high tide, and then we’re getting that Kelvin wave that we talk about. What will make it worse is that Sunday into Monday you have all three of those ingredients again, but we’re going to add a fourth,’ he added.
‘We’re going to get an area of low pressure that’s tracking from northern California. That is going to increase the wind.’
