Huge waves from Hurricane Marie slammed the Southern California coast this week, eroding popular beaches and damaging oceanfront homes — even though the Category 2 storm didn’t make come anywhere close to making landfall in California.
The destruction could be a preview of what California’s coast could face during the coming winter, as a potentially record-strength El Niño could steer more powerful storms with large waves toward the state.
The Long Beach Fire Department evacuated 20 homes along the shore Tuesday. Breached seawalls and damage to the boardwalk, as well as cracked concrete in between the homes, prompted the evacuation, officials said. The evacuation orders were lifted on Wednesday morning…