While many Angelenos were busy dealing with unseasonable rain from the remnants of Hurricane Marie, beach communities have been hit hard by high tides and massive waves associated with the storm.
Among the most-impacted enclaves are Malibu, where a sinkhole opened up under one multimillion dollar beachfront home; Pacific Palisades, where the waterfront has been further eroded away from the remaining pilings of homes razed by last year’s fire; Long Beach, where very rare wave action inside the breakwater and high tides have combined to trigger evacuations; and Dana Point, where a number of seaside estates were red tagged.
The Malibu sinkhole opened up along the sand in the 31600 block of Sea Level Drive East. That’s in the secluded Point Lechuza community near Broad Beach. Photos from the scene show the house still standing on pilings driven into the sand, but the driveway gone and portions of the street falling into the waves below.
Los Angeles County Fire Department crews responded to a call at the scene at about 5:45 a.m. Tuesday and found not just the wreckage, but a gas main rupture.
The Southern California Gas Company was summoned to shut off the gas, according to a fire department spokesman.
“There is a sinkhole there, but the home is not occupied,” he said.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the county fire department closed the private road.
Malibu’s Building Safety Division and SoCal Gas were working to assess the situation, and the city reportedly red-tagged five homes, prohibiting entry.
“The city’s Building Safety Division and Southern California Gas Company will continue to assess the situation to determine safety concerns for the surrounding area, and will provide updates as they become available,” city officials said in a statement.
Malibu officials said they are “actively monitoring and responding to coastal erosion issues in areas including Pacific Coast Highway in the Palisades Fire burn area and at Westward Beach due to strong waves and high tides, in close collaboration with partner agencies.”
A high surf advisory and coastal flood advisory are in effect until 11 p.m. Tuesday for portions of the Los Angeles County coast, while a coastal flood advisory were extended to 11 p.m. Wednesday for Orange County.
Over the weekend, Hurricane Marie aimed waves with 10-foot faces directly at the shores of Malibu and Orange County, both of which face south. The storm remained well offshore but sent considerable moisture toward the area. That, coupled with evening high tides well over 7 feet, caused flooding at parking lots in Seal Beach and Zuma Beach, and sea water “flowing into homes and streets” in Long Beach, according to the NWS.
The Long Beach Fire Department reported Monday night that approximately 20 homes were evacuated along Seaside Walk, from 63rd to 67th Place, due to the seawall being compromised and damage to the boardwalk.
There were also reports of damaged and cracked concrete in between several of the homes.
“These evacuation orders are being issued out of an abundance of caution while the Building Department evaluates the structural integrity and condition of these homes,” LBFD said in a statement.
In South Orange County’s tony Dana Point, about a dozen high-priced homes were red-tagged as uninhabitable after damage from the high waves undermined at least one beachfront building’s slab foundation.
This weekend’s damage may only be a prelude to what’s in store for beachside communities this winter, with the National Climate Prediction Center last month forecasting “a greater than 90% chance of a very strong [El Niño] event during the Northern Hemisphere fall and winter 2026-27.”
That would mean not just mudslides in the hills of coastal communities, but potentially even bigger surf pounding their already-eroded beaches.
“The city is preparing for potential strong storms, strong waves, heavy rain, mudslides and coastal erosion that are possible along the entire Southern California coast due to the forecast strong El Niño conditions,” Malibu officials said today.
City News Service contributed to this report.
