A famed stretch of Southern California coastline has been dramatically reshaped after Hurricane Marie’s powerful surf tore into Laguna Beach, leaving officials racing to protect homes, beaches and public infrastructure.
Laguna Beach has declared a local emergency after hurricane-driven swells pummeled the shoreline, stripped away large amounts of sand and put oceanfront properties at risk. City leaders said the move was also influenced by forecasts calling for a potentially very strong El Niño during the fall and winter.
“Swell beginning September 2 caused significant sand movement and erosion that is still ongoing,” the city said in a press release. “The proclamation allows the City to move immediately on emergency shoreline protection, sand placement, debris removal, assessments and repairs without the delay of ordinary contracting procedures.”
City Manager Dave Kiff, who is serving as Laguna Beach’s Director of Emergency Services, said the scale of the erosion has stunned longtime residents and city officials alike.
“Most of us have never seen this much sand leave our beaches at once. We expect it to come back, but we are not counting on it, and with a very strong El Niño forecast we need the ability to act quickly to protect homes, beaches and public infrastructure.”
Although Hurricane Marie’s strongest impacts have passed, the emergency proclamation gives Laguna Beach more flexibility to reinforce vulnerable areas and begin repairs before El Niño-fueled storms could bring another wave of coastal damage.
According to the city, six homes along Ocean Way and Lagunita Drive have been yellow-tagged
because of compromised seawalls, while the Aliso Beach parking lot has “partially failed.” Temporary closures are also in effect at the south end of Lagunita Beach, Pearl Street Beach, the footpath at Christmas Cove and the Aliso Beach parking lot.
NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center projects “a greater than 90% chance of a very strong event” during this fall and winter, along with a “75% chance of a historic event that would exceed the strength of previous El Niño events dating back to 1950.”
John Warrick, a geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, told NBC Los Angeles that the coastline may face a different set of hazards as the seasons shift.
“The summertime storms have been fairly excessive this year, which has impacted those beaches that are directed toward the south,” Warrick said. “This coming winter, we’re expecting the storms in the North Pacific to cause all the challenges.
“And so generally in El Niño, those storms off the North Pacific are larger than normal, and so, by all means, we most likely will be seeing different beaches impacted this winter than we’re seeing this summer,” he added.
