Laguna Beach has declared a local emergency after significant erosion caused by Hurricane Marie battered its shores and threatened oceanfront homes. The declaration also addresses concerns about a potentially severe El Niño expected this fall and winter.
City Manager Dave Kiff, acting as the city’s Director of Emergency Services, stated that the amount of sand stripped from the shoreline was unprecedented. "Most of us have never seen this much sand leave our beaches at once," Kiff said. "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."
The emergency proclamation allows the city to expedite measures such as shoreline protection, sand placement, debris removal, assessments, and repairs, bypassing standard contracting procedures. Swells from Hurricane Marie began causing significant sand movement and erosion on September 2, a process that is still ongoing.
Anticipating El Niño
Weather scientists project a greater than 90% chance of a very strong El Niño event this fall and winter, with a 75% chance it could be historic, exceeding the strength of previous El Niño events dating back to 1950, according to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.
Geologist John Warrick of the U.S. Geological Survey explained that El Niño typically brings larger storms from the North Pacific, which could impact different beaches than those affected by the recent summer storms. "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," Warrick told NBC Los Angeles.
Damage and Closures
Several oceanfront homes on Ocean Way and Lagunita Drive have been yellow-tagged due to compromised seawalls. The parking lot at Aliso Beach has partially failed, and the south end of Lagunita Beach, Pearl Street Beach, the footpath at Christmas Cove, and the Aliso Beach parking lot are temporarily closed.
The emergency declaration provides Laguna Beach with the flexibility to address immediate coastal protection needs and repair existing damage before the anticipated El Niño brings potentially more severe weather conditions. 
