Long Beach officials prep for more flooding as Tropical Storm Rachel targets the region
Long Beach officials are reinforcing damaged coastal infrastructure, deploying additional pumps and moving thousands of tons of sand onto the Peninsula as Tropical Storm Rachel threatens to bring high surf, heavy rain and strong winds to the city.
Mayor Rex Richardson warned that although the Peninsula faces the most immediate danger, flooding could occur across Long Beach because the city sits at the southern end of two rivers and several watersheds. Officials urged residents to prepare before conditions worsen and to avoid the Peninsula unless they live there.
The city has restricted vehicle access to Peninsula residents and ordered people living along the 6400 and 6500 blocks of Seaside Walk to evacuate through noon Tuesday, though Fire Chief Dennis Buchanan said the order could be extended or expanded depending on conditions. An evacuation center has been established at the El Dorado Park West Community Center.
Eight structures covering 13 addresses have been red-tagged, meaning they are unsafe to enter. Another structure has been yellow-tagged, allowing limited access to retrieve belongings but prohibiting residents from staying inside.
Building inspectors are checking homes twice a day, while engineers are reassessing structures after each high tide. Officials said additional properties could be tagged if waves and erosion cause further damage.
City crews have worked around the clock to reinforce the damaged bulkhead and pedestrian boardwalk with lumber and thousands of sandbags. At 65th Place, a crane is placing about 30 heavy-duty sandbags, each with a capacity of 3,000 pounds, to absorb wave energy and reduce pressure on the bulkhead, boardwalk and nearby homes.
Public Works has tripled the number of portable pumps available on the Peninsula to remove water and reduce flooding. Crews are also maintaining sand berms, clearing storm drains and catch basins and conducting emergency repairs when tides and surf conditions allow them to work safely.
City Manager Tom Modica outlined a seven-part coastal protection plan that includes immediate repairs, beach replenishment and longer-term erosion defenses. Permanent repairs to the bulkhead and boardwalk are expected to begin Monday or Tuesday if conditions are safe, with the cost now estimated at $1.5 million to $3.5 million.
The city also accelerated an $11.4 million Alamitos Bay Channel dredging project by one week. Work is scheduled to begin during the week of Oct. 19 and will place about 415,000 cubic yards of sand on the Peninsula, widening the beach by an estimated 200 feet.
Before dredging begins, contractors are expected to move between 50,000 and 100,000 cubic yards of additional sand onto the beach. The work is initially estimated to cost $230,000 and is intended to create another barrier between incoming waves and homes.
Officials are also designing a low-profile rock revetment with coastal dunes that could provide an additional layer of protection if future storms wash away the newly placed sand. The proposed project is estimated to cost $6.8 million and is not yet funded, although the city has money available for the initial design work.
Long Beach will seek state and federal assistance for beach nourishment, habitat restoration and other coastal protection projects. The city is also working with the Port of Long Beach and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to determine whether future dredging projects can be accelerated, potentially adding up to 1 million cubic yards of sand to local beaches.
Officials urged residents throughout Long Beach to obtain sandbags from Fire Stations 7, 12, 13 and 14 or the Claremont launch ramp area. The city has distributed more than 10,000 sandbags for Rachel and expects to have distributed roughly 17,000 across three recent storms.
Residents should create a family emergency plan, assemble an emergency supply kit and pack a go bag containing essential items, officials said. They should also keep existing sandbags in place, stay off beaches and damaged portions of the boardwalk and follow evacuation or safety instructions from first responders.
Residents can register for emergency notifications at AlertLongBeach.com and check LongBeach.gov/emergency for updates.
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