Tropical Storm Rachel Devastates Long Beach Boardwalk, Forces Evacuations
The storm's powerful waves and winds have caused significant damage to coastal infrastructure and homes, with more flooding expected.
Tropical Storm Rachel has caused widespread damage along the Southern California coast, destroying a portion of Long Beach's historic boardwalk and rendering eight homes unsafe for occupancy. The storm's impact has also extended inland with powerful winds.
In Long Beach, massive waves breached the century-old boardwalk, tearing through its wooden structure. City officials have since closed off access, deeming the area unsafe and posting "No trespassing" signs as they work to mitigate further damage before the next high tide. Eight residences on the city's Peninsula have been red-tagged as unsafe, with an additional property yellow-tagged, allowing limited access for residents to retrieve belongings.
"It is not normal that we see this type of activity," Mayor Rex Richardson stated Saturday, noting that this marks the third hurricane to impact the region in just six weeks. He added, "Just in this season, this marks the third hurricane in just six weeks." The city has distributed thousands of sandbags to residents in an effort to protect properties, continuing a trend of increased storm impact.
The National Weather Service has issued a coastal flood warning for Los Angeles County beaches, anticipating up to 7.6 feet of high tide through Sunday afternoon. Forecasters are concerned that a potential high tide of 7.8 to 8 feet on Sunday could exacerbate flooding, particularly in vulnerable areas of Long Beach and Malibu. Adding to the concern, up to a half-inch of rain is forecast for Long Beach on Sunday, which could worsen conditions in low-lying areas.
Beyond the immediate coastal threats, Tropical Storm Rachel brought strong winds to the Inland Empire, where footage captured a structure being torn from its foundation. The storm's remnants made landfall along northern Baja California, north of Ensenada. While San Diego was largely spared the brunt of the system, the storm brought heavy rain and severe thunderstorms to California's Imperial Valley and eastward into Arizona, prompting flash-flood warnings.
Officials are urging the public to avoid beaches and coastal areas and to adhere to all barricades, warning against driving through floodwaters. A mandatory evacuation order is in effect for residents on 64th and 65th streets along Seaside Walk due to the repeated battering of heavy surf.