The impacts of Hurricane Marie crashed onto Long Beach’s doorstep, with waves crashing relentlessly onto an already dilapidated Peninsula boardwalk and forcing the evacuation of roughly 20 homes from Monday to Wednesday.
The decades-old boardwalk built in the 1920s has long needed repairs. The City had plans to replace the wooden walkway, spanning from 55th to 69th Place at Seaside Way, with resistant composite materials in 2025. However, Third District Councilmember Kristina Duggan told the Signal Tribune in January that the $2 million project was on hold due to a lack of available funding.
Chunks of that boardwalk were severely compromised over the course of the week, as waves reaching over six feet high easily overcame reinforced sand berms and damaged the wooden walkway, as well as home foundations and even concrete.
Jana Merical, a Long Beach resident who lives on the corner of 62nd Place and Ocean Boulevard, was one of many volunteers helping her neighbors Wednesday evening…