A luxury resort in Laguna Beach is moving guests off its first floor as powerful Pacific surf threatens Southern California, with coastal flooding and severe beach erosion expected from Sunday through Thursday.
Surf & Sand Resort is taking the precaution as large waves pound the beachfront property. A hotel employee told The California Post that no guests would be accommodated on the first floor because of the danger.
“We are putting no guests on the first floor,” the employee said, describing the decision as a precautionary measure. The worker added that the resort itself had not been damaged and had endured major storms in the past.
The resort’s response highlights the wider risks confronting coastal communities throughout Southern California, where higher tides and shrinking beaches are leaving homes, businesses and public infrastructure increasingly vulnerable.
The National Weather Service in Los Angeles said minor to moderate coastal flooding was possible from Sunday through Thursday. High tides could reach 7.5 to 8 feet, or up to 1.5 feet higher than projected.
“HEADS UP!!!!” the agency said, warning that moderate to significant beach erosion was also likely. Officials cautioned that some locations could later face upgraded warnings.
California’s Office of Emergency Services said a Coastal Flood Advisory would remain in place along the state’s shoreline from Oct. 25 through Oct. 29. Coastal Flood Warnings were issued for Orange and San Diego counties.
Concern grew after an Instagram video circulated that appeared to show part of Surf & Sand’s oceanfront seawall collapsing. The extent of any structural damage has not been independently verified.
Laguna Beach surfer and skimboarding champion Blair Conklin documented powerful waves striking the shoreline, where the loss of sand has left beachfront properties increasingly exposed.
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“There’s a reason they call it Beach Road… you got the Surf and Sand is now the surf and boulder, and the Beach Road is now—it’s definitely a rocky road,” Conklin said.
Conklin said offshore reefs that once helped weaken incoming waves were no longer offering the same level of protection.
“Waves are not breaking on those reefs that used to protect our coast a little bit… they’re just passing the reefs because it’s deep enough and then doubling up and hitting all the structures on the inside—and there’s no sand buffer.”
The coastal threat reaches far beyond Laguna Beach.
Crews are carrying out a $4 million emergency effort to shore up a fractured 360-foot bluff near El Moro and Crystal Cove. The operation is using heavy machinery, rocks and plastic bags filled with sand ahead of the king tides.
In Capistrano Beach, several homes along Beach Road have reportedly sustained structural damage. Six or seven properties have been red-tagged as uninhabitable and are being demolished.
The latest coastal emergency follows a series of hurricane-generated swells linked to Marie, Polo and Rachel, which have removed sand from beaches. An oceanic Kelvin wave is also contributing to elevated water levels.
