Multimillion-dollar California oceanfront homes battered by relentless Pacific waves as coastline crumbles

THE TAKEAWAY

• Powerful waves from Tropical Storm Rachel damaged multimillion-dollar homes and destroyed sections of Long Beach’s historical boardwalk.
• Eight buildings representing 13 residential addresses were red-tagged arsenic unsafe to enter, portion 1 further gathering received a yellowish tag.
• Long Beach is launching exigency repairs and a multistep coastal-protection program arsenic El Niño threatens to bring much erosion and high-surf events.

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Powerful waves generated by Tropical Storm Rachel tore done the Long Beach Peninsula implicit the weekend, damaging lavish multimillion-dollar oceanfront homes and destroying sections of the historic boardwalk arsenic the California metropolis continues battling accelerated coastal erosion.

As a perchance record-breaking El Niño fuels an exceptionally progressive Pacific hurricane season, almighty coastal waves person battered California, taking a dense toll connected Long Beach’s Peninsula neighborhood.

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In an aerial view, Pacific Ocean waves lavation into damaged homes amid precocious surf generated by Tropical Storm Rachel connected October 11, 2026 successful Long Beach, California. 

(Mario Tama/Getty Images / Getty Images)

The susceptible agelong of waterfront homes was hammered by precocious tides and unsmooth surf from yet different almighty tropical system.

HURRICANE SWELLS REVEAL FORGOTTEN HISTORY BENEATH ICONIC CALIFORNIA BEACH

Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said that 8 buildings representing 13 residential addresses were red-tagged arsenic unsafe to enter, portion 1 further gathering received a yellowish tag allowing residents constricted entree to retrieve belongings, but not stay inside.

Laath Martin, nationalist affairs and media relations pb for the City of Long Beach, confirmed to FOX Weather that 1 of the red-tagged homes was purchased for astir $5 cardinal conscionable 2 months ago.

A idiosyncratic unloads soil astatine a soil berm adjacent damaged homes amid precocious surf generated by Post-Tropical Storm Rachel connected October 12, 2026, successful Long Beach, California. 

(Mario Tama/Getty Images / Getty Images)

The metropolis issued a mandatory evacuation bid for homes on Seaside Walk betwixt 64th and 66th places portion restricting vehicular entree to the Peninsula to residents lone arsenic betterment and mitigation efforts continued.

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Long Beach officials said crews began moving motortruck loads, dumping thousands of cubic yards of soil onto the Peninsula connected Oct. 10, up of an accelerated $11.4 cardinal Alamitos Bay dredging task that volition present an further 415,000 cubic yards of beach-ready soil to the susceptible agelong of land.

Waves proceed to deed homes connected Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026 successful Long Beach, CA.  Storm waves person affected the Long Beach peninsula successful caller weeks, causing harm to coastal homes.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Rachel’s almighty waves caused devastating harm to galore oceanfront homes and sections of the boardwalk, portion ample surf continued to batter the already damaged properties connected Tuesday aft days of precocious tide impacts.

El Niño's crippling coastal impacts

Tropical Storm Rachel is the latest section successful an exceptionally progressive Eastern Pacific hurricane season, fueled successful portion by a almighty El Niño that has sent tempest aft tempest toward California’s already battered coast.

'HISTORIC' EL NIÑO INCREASINGLY LIKELY, WITH 83% CHANCE OF BECOMING THE STRONGEST ON RECORD

Hurricanes Marie and Polo were among respective almighty Pacific systems that battered Southern California, leaving the Long Beach assemblage reeling earlier Rachel delivered different devastating stroke to the already susceptible coastline.

A idiosyncratic takes photos of the damaged seawall and historical boardwalk adjacent damaged homes, amid precocious surf generated by Post-Tropical Storm Rachel, connected October 12, 2026 successful Long Beach, California.

(Mario Tama/Getty Images)

In conscionable six weeks, 3 tropical systems person battered the Long Beach coastline, with Rachel bringing different circular of unsmooth surf, precocious tides and coastal erosion that damaged properties and infrastructure.

"This is simply a sobering reminder of the powerfulness of quality and, astir importantly, the value of staying prepared," Mayor Rex Richardson said during a quality conference.

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Long Beach is simply a snapshot of a broader communicative unfolding on the Southern California coast, but the metropolis is not giving up connected its susceptible Peninsula.

In an aerial view, a idiosyncratic unloads soil astatine a soil berm protecting beachfront homes, amid precocious surf generated by Post-Tropical Storm Rachel, connected October 12, 2026 successful Long Beach, California.

(Mario Tama/Getty Images / Getty Images)

With Hurricane Marie exposing the Peninsula’s devastating vulnerability, Long Beach officials person outlined a seven-point program focused connected repairing damaged infrastructure, restoring mislaid sand, strengthening the shoreline and advancing semipermanent coastal resilience arsenic erosion worsens and El Niño conditions intensify.

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The City of Long Beach declared a section exigency pursuing California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Sept. 21 statewide exigency declaration, which directed authorities agencies to prepare for terrible storms, coastal flooding and erosion portion expediting efforts to support susceptible communities and captious infrastructure.

A idiosyncratic takes photos adjacent damaged homes beyond what remains of the historical boardwalk and seawall, amid surf generated by Post-Tropical Storm Rachel, connected October 12, 2026 successful Long Beach, California.

(Mario Tama/Getty Images / Getty Images)

Across Southern California, akin scenes are unfolding arsenic almighty storms proceed to spot distant astatine fragile shorelines.

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Coastal erosion has swallowed beaches and has adjacent forced semipermanent closures on stretches of Pacific Coast Highway, 1 of the nation’s astir iconic roads.