A tropical system that never came close to shore still managed to tear apart Southern California’s coastline last week, and scientists say the region may have only seen a preview.
The swells generated by the remnants of Hurricane Marie, which tracked hundreds of miles offshore, sent powerful long-period waves toward south-facing beaches over several days.
By the time the surf subsided, at least 24 oceanfront homes in Long Beach had been placed under evacuation orders, a rail corridor serving millions of annual passengers had been partially shut down, and a sinkhole had opened in the driveway of a Malibu home belonging to actor Nicolas Cage, triggering a gas leak and a local emergency declaration along Sea Level Drive.
The Alamitos Peninsula took the worst of it
The most concentrated damage occurred along the Alamitos Peninsula in Long Beach, where days of large breaking waves overwhelmed sand berms and pounded a seawall protecting homes packed between the Pacific Ocean and narrow streets. Structural damage and possible foundation undermining were severe enough that officials ordered evacuations while assessments continued…