Long Beach fights ongoing flood damage as Tropical Storm Rachel lashes Southern California coast
Tropical Storm Rachel moved onto Southern California, bringing heavy surf, high tides and rain that flooded streets from Newport Beach to Long Beach. City crews have been deploying sandbags—bringing the recent total to roughly 15,000—and are reinforcing the boardwalk’s timber bulkhead, though low‑tide conditions have limited work. Officials note that the storm’s impact was amplified by a warm‑water Kelvin wave and unusually high tides, a combination described as unprecedented for the region. Mayor Rex Richardson said the damage underscores the need for climate‑resilient infrastructure as the community works to restore the historic boardwalk and protect homes along the peninsula.
How this was covered
- Left-leaning outlets covered this 3h later
- Centrist coverage is the most divided on this story
Why it matters
The event shows how extreme coastal flooding can quickly overwhelm neighborhoods and highlight gaps in shoreline protection.
How this story developed
- Sep 27 Tropical Storm Rachel Develops Near Mexico's Southwest Coast, Officials Warn
- Oct 5 A stalled cold front will keep Tampa Bay under gray, humid skies with daily showers, while a Gulf disturbance may become a tropical depression later this week.
- Oct 7 The National Hurricane Center now expects Isaias to intensify into a hurricane before Gulf Coast landfall.
- Oct 8 The National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane watch from Bay St. Louis to Indian Pass and a hurricane warning for the Alabama coast.
- Oct 8 Tropical Storm Rachel is moving toward northern Baja and the Gulf of California, while Hurricane Simon is expected to become a major hurricane on Mexico’s west coast, and Hurricane Isaias is strengthening in the Atlantic toward the US Gulf.
- Oct 9 Waves from former Hurricane Rachel ripped apart the Long Beach Peninsula boardwalk, leaving a vacant home on the verge of falling into the sea.
- Oct 9 Hurricane Isaias, a Category 3 storm, battered the Gulf Coast with strong winds, heavy rain and tornado risk, while officials kept the Alabama-Georgia football game on schedule.
- Oct 10 Mobile, Alabama imposed a curfew as the storm approached.
- Oct 10 Isaias has weakened to a post‑tropical cyclone and is now moving northward inland.
- Oct 10 Rachel is now classified as a hurricane and Nolo has intensified to Category 3.
- Oct 11 Updated outage figures show Florida power losses falling to about 323,000 and Alabama outages exceeding 80,000.
- Oct 12 City crews began reinforcing the boardwalk’s timber bulkhead while distributing additional sandbags.
- Oct 12 Simon turned northwest, keeping its eye off the coast of Jalisco.
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