By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2026-09-08 15:16:31 | Updated at 2026-09-08 16:04:24
1 hour ago
California homeowners were forced to flee their properties Monday as powerful waves from Tropical Storm Marie battered the Long Beach Peninsula, sending seawater over a seawall and into homes.
Residents along the low-lying stretch faced another dangerous night of high tides and pounding surf after a stormy Labor Day weekend left streets flooded, houses damaged and sand berms washed away.
Firefighters went door-to-door Monday night to tell people at 20 homes along the seawall between 63rd Place and 67th Place that they needed to evacuate.
The Long Beach Fire Department said the seawall had been compromised, while portions of the nearby boardwalk had also sustained damage.
City building officials were sent into the neighborhood to assess whether the affected houses remained structurally sound, with reports of cracked and damaged concrete between some of the properties.
The evacuation came as massive waves repeatedly surged over the seawall, battering homes and pushing water and sand into properties. Family members were seen arriving to help relatives pack up and leave as waves continued crashing into the waterfront.
Several inches of water and sand had already spilled into coastal neighborhoods over the weekend, while residents in Long Beach and nearby Seal Beach worked to clear flooding and debris left behind after ocean water overwhelmed berms designed to protect the communities.
The force of the ocean also chewed away at the protective wall itself, with pieces breaking loose and being swept toward the sea.
Long Beach Fire Battalion Chief Jake Heflin said officials now need to determine how badly the waterfront infrastructure was damaged and what can be done to protect it from future storms.
“We’re going to have to do a real assessment on the boardwalk, the impact of this storm on the boardwalk, the impact of this storm on the waterfront here, and what that looks like — how we do this, how do we reinforce this, and how we build up, because this is just the beginning,” Heflin said.
For residents, the threat remained immediate as another high tide approached Monday night.
Long Beach Peninsula resident Rob Quest said the previous night’s waves had cleared the seawall by several feet, leaving residents hoping the measures being put in place would withstand another round of pounding surf.
“We just hope we will still have a house at the end of this,” resident Paula Attina told ABC7 as waves shook her home. “The entire house — it feels like an earthquake.”
Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson warned that the damage could be a preview of more coastal threats ahead.
“The climate emergency is real. This is one event, but we have to be honest, this will happen again,” Richardson said.
A Coastal Flood Advisory and High Surf Advisory were both set to remain in effect through 11 p.m. Tuesday.
Earlier in the day the mayor issued a cautionary post on social media.
“Listen up Long Beach! Due to conditions related to high tides, surf and swell, the City is temporarily closing some impacted coastal areas through the remainder of the night or and or until further notice,” he wrote.
