Newport Beach Declares Emergency as Tropical Storm Rachel Floods Streets

Tropical Storm Rachel unleashed powerful swells and high tides that flooded streets across Newport Beach and Long Beach on Friday, October 9, forcing city officials to declare local emergencies and evacuate beachfront residents. The National Weather Service issued a coastal flood advisory through October 13, with the worst conditions expected Sunday as Rachel approaches the California coast with dangerous surf, heavy rain, and wind.

How the flooding hit Newport Beach Friday

A hurricane swell combined with a south swell and high tide sent seawater into streets across Newport Beach’s Balboa Peninsula on Friday morning, shutting down roadways and stranding vehicles. City workers deployed 40 to 50 staff members to pump salt water back to the sea using the city’s network of 86 tidal valves and 18 pumps. Newport Beach Mayor Lauren Kleiman declared a local emergency at a 6 p.m. news conference Friday to secure additional resources and coordinate with regional partners.

Long Beach Peninsula faces evacuation and structural damage

In Long Beach, powerful waves broke through the boardwalk’s bulkhead Friday morning, leaving at least one home on the verge of collapse. City inspectors red-tagged eight buildings (13 addresses total) and yellow-tagged one building in the 6400 and 6500 blocks of Seaside Walk. An evacuation order was issued for homes between 64th and 66th Place, set to expire Tuesday at noon. Crews filled an exposed section with roughly 1,000 sandbags and deployed a construction crane Saturday to reinforce the damaged bulkhead.

Worse flooding expected through the weekend

The National Weather Service warned that waves are expected to get even bigger over the weekend, with tides even higher in the morning hours. Rain from Tropical Storm Rachel is also forecast, with the greatest coastal flood risk expected around Sunday. The National Weather Service issued a coastal flood advisory through Tuesday for Orange County beaches. The expected storm surge could reach about 7 feet Monday, intensifying threats to beachfront homes already weakened by recent hurricanes Marie and Polo.

Years of erosion left coastal areas vulnerable

Both Newport Beach and Laguna Beach have suffered severe erosion in recent months as consistent swells battered the coastline, eroding the beach buffer between the ocean and roadways. Newport Beach officials had previously identified the Balboa Peninsula, Balboa Island, Newport Island and other low-lying harborfront neighborhoods as particularly vulnerable to flooding during unusually high tides. Despite city efforts to build berms, set up sandbags and maintain protective infrastructure, Friday’s flooding overwhelmed these defenses.

Final Thoughts

Newport Beach and Long Beach face a critical weekend as Tropical Storm Rachel intensifies coastal flooding and erosion. With evacuations ordered and multiple buildings red-tagged as unsafe, residents should stay clear of flooded areas and heed all local warnings through Tuesday.

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