Los Angeles, Sep 14 : Powerful surf generated by the remnants of former Hurricane Marie battered Southern California's coast last week, stripping sand from beaches, damaging homes and walkways, and exposing once again the vulnerability of oceanfront communities.
"With global warming, superstorms and ocean current shifts, I'm afraid it's only going to get worse," former Malibu resident S.A. Baker told Xinhua. "Las Vegas might be beachfront property one day if this keeps up."
The worst damage was reported along the Alamitos Peninsula in Long Beach, where days of large breaking waves overwhelmed sand berms and pounded a seawall protecting homes packed tightly between the Pacific Ocean and narrow streets.
At least 24 oceanfront homes were placed under evacuation orders while officials assessed structural damage and possible foundation undermining.
The immediate trigger was the swells generated by Hurricane Marie, which remained far offshore but sent long-period waves toward south- and southwest-facing beaches. Such swells can carry substantial energy over long distances and produce powerful breaking waves when they reach the coast. The combination of high surf and high astronomical tides increased the risk of coastal flooding and erosion.
A strengthening El Nino could bring wetter and stormier conditions to Southern California later this year and into the winter, potentially increasing coastal flooding and erosion risks.
"Unfortunately, this is just a preview," climate scientist Daniel Swain said in a public discussion last week, warning that coastal flooding risks could grow in the fall and winter if El Nino conditions intensify.
The erosion was not confined to Long Beach. High surf and coastal flooding affected communities from Malibu through Orange County and into San Diego County.
In San Clemente, high tides and powerful waves overtopped the coastal rail line and caused further erosion and slope damage, prompting the closure of an affected section of the track.
The rail corridor, formally known as the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor, is the second-busiest intercity passenger rail corridor in the United States and a key route for passenger and freight service. Parts of the 351-mile corridor run directly along coastal bluffs and beaches in Southern California, where waves, landslides and slope failures have repeatedly forced emergency repairs and service disruptions.
In Malibu, the storm's effects drew national attention when a sinkhole opened in the driveway of an oceanfront home reportedly owned by Oscar-winning actor Nicolas Cage, known for films including "Leaving Las Vegas," "National Treasure" and "Face/Off."
The collapse caused a gas leak, prompting emergency crews to shut off utilities and leading Malibu officials to declare a local emergency for affected properties along Sea Level Drive.
Coastal scientists say erosion is a natural process, but risks increase when beaches have limited room to migrate because of development and shoreline structures. Waves naturally move sand offshore during storms and return some of it during calmer periods. In heavily developed parts of Southern California, seawalls, homes, roads and rail lines can constrain that natural movement as sea levels rise.
For now, local officials are focused on repairs and public safety. Authorities have warned of dangerous surf and rip currents, while rainfall can also increase runoff and temporarily worsen water quality near beaches. But the latest storm has underscored how even a tropical system passing hundreds of miles offshore can produce significant damage along Southern California's vulnerable coastline.
