Ocean Waves Red-Tag Southern California Homes
It’s just a couch,
Curtis said after watching his living room furniture float into the Pacific Ocean via drone footage provided by friends, NBC News reported. Between October 9 and 11, 2026, remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel whipped offshore waves up to 17 feet tall against the Long Beach Peninsula, collapsing beachfront properties and leaving structures unsafe for residents. Eight structures encompassing 13 homes were deemed too unsafe to enter.
The storm surge destroyed sections of the historic boardwalk and tore through multimillion-dollar oceanfront homes. In Long Beach, Laath Martin, public affairs and media relations lead for the City of Long Beach, confirmed that one of the red-tagged properties had been purchased for roughly $5 million just two months prior to the disaster, according to FOX Weather. Meanwhile, adjacent neighborhoods watched cracks snake from foundations up to roofs, threatening to split single-family homes in two while owners were away. Curtis said he told them just to enjoy their vacation, noting there was nothing they could do.
Orange County Beach Erosion Accelerates
Southern California’s coastline faced widespread damage as powerful surf accelerated erosion from Dana Point to Newport Beach. In Dana Point, officials red-tagged seven homes and yellow-tagged 13 others following the storm surge, while two homes were already demolished and another faced scheduled removal in the Capistrano Bay District. ABC7 News noted that about 9,000 cubic yards of sand was rushed to Capistrano Beach to protect a parking lot, threatened train services, and homes on the brink of collapse.
Tropical Storm Rachel Update 10/8/2026:There’s a good chance that tropical storm Rachel will make landfall in Baja California, and if it makes a more northward trajectory, it would be California’s first tropical storm landfall since 1938! Recall that Hilary in 2023 turned into a… pic.twitter.com/0zk89FgYQR
The whole coast of Orange County is really under siege right now,
said Katrina Foley, Orange County’s Fifth District supervisor. Farther north, a bluff at Crystal Cove State Park developed large cracks just yards from the Pacific Coast Highway, prompting state agencies and Caltrans to assess the eroding cliffs. Yesterday it was actively eroding where I saw parts of the cliff fall into the water,
Conklin said, adding, It just seems like it’s consistently eroding every day, and that’s the problem.
Municipalities Race to Build Emergency Berms
Cities across the region deployed heavy machinery to construct emergency sand berms ahead of anticipated king tides and upcoming winter storm activity. Newport Beach Public Works Director Dave Webb warned city leaders about upcoming high tides on October 26, alongside expected El Niño impacts and Kelvin wave activity, Voice of OC reported. Newport Beach crews utilized sand mined from the Santa Ana River to build higher-than-normal berms.
Newport Beach officials discussed allocating $6 million from leftover federal dredging funds toward a new sand replenishment project, alongside an incoming shipment of 100,000 cubic yards of sand from the Santa Ana River expected to cost up to $2 million. Mayor Lauren Kleiman stated that the city might declare a state of emergency before the late October king tides to protect the harbor from flooding.
Coastal Residents Question Long-Term Safety
Property owners and municipal leaders grapple with the rising risks of coastal living as rapid climate change drives severe Pacific storms toward vulnerable shorelines. We love to live in these vulnerable places because they are beautiful,
said Gallien, as reported by NBC News. It comes down to what is a risk tolerance for a given homeowner or a given community, or a given municipality. Can engineers protect structures?
Gavin Newsom’s September 21, 2026, statewide emergency declaration directed state agencies to prepare for severe storms and coastal flooding while expediting protection efforts for vulnerable communities and critical infrastructure. As local crews work to reinforce seawalls and distribute sandbags, residents confront the reality that seasonal storms will continue to test the limits of southern California’s coastal engineering.
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