California coastal cities brace for Hurricane Polo after recent storm damage

Long Beach’s council voted to activate an emergency order, allowing city crews to accelerate restoration of sand barriers that Hurricane Marie stripped away earlier this month. Councilmember Kristina Duggan warned that the prior storm lowered beach height by more than eight feet, endangering tens of millions of dollars in infrastructure and private property. Meanwhile, Newport Beach officials, led by councilmember Erik Weigand, are reinforcing their berm and hauling roughly 200,000 cubic yards of sand from the Santa Ana River to prevent flooding of parking areas and inland neighborhoods.

Hurricane Polo, now a Category 4 system with sustained winds of 150 mph, is expected to generate four-to-six-foot swells and could cause downed power lines, trees, and other hazards along Southern California’s shoreline. Experts note the storm is one of the strongest ever recorded in the Pacific basin, and while a direct hit remains uncertain, “spaghetti models” show possible tracks toward the state and neighboring regions. Residents like Charley Snyder voice concern that the community has not fully recovered from the earlier damage and fears further devastation.