Homeowners at a few of Southern California’s priciest beach enclaves were assessing the damage caused by former Hurricane Marie Wednesday, which sent huge waves crashing into houses Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
In Long Beach, residents were allowed to return to their homes Wednesday morning after city building inspectors completed their assessments on the Alamitos Peninsula, just west of Seal Beach. Several homes were damaged between 63rd Place and 68th Place over Labor Day weekend, with as many as two dozen later placed under evacuation orders, but those orders were lifted Wednesday.
“Building officials yellow-tagged one property. No homes were red-tagged, and all remaining homes were deemed safe for occupancy, allowing residents to return to their homes,” a spokesman for the Long Beach Fire Department told City News Service.
Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine and Public Works crews continued cleanup and recovery efforts throughout the affected areas.
“Emergency repair work conducted overnight along the seawall held and was effective in providing additional protection to the area,” the spokesman added.
A section of the Peninsula’s wooden boardwalk was also heavily damaged, and will remain closed to the public while repairs continue.
In Dana Point in south Orange County, truckloads of boulders were placed along a stretch of beach after several homes were deemed uninhabitable, with one partially collapsing into the sea.
Seven homes were red-tagged, and two others received yellow tags limiting access. City officials were on site inspecting the damage and advising residents when they need to leave their homes. Coastal Commission staff, who are responsible for issuing Emergency Coastal Development Permits, worked overtime to help residents get services, officials said.
Orange County Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Katrina Foley visited the residents Tuesday afternoon to assess the damage and connect people with services. Foley noted that the homeowners who had piers were in better position to withstand the waves.
“Those homes, their decks aren’t washing away,” Foley said. “Their bigger concern is water going underneath the homes.”
But “those homes built on the sand in the 1950s — those homes are just trashed,” Foley said. “One house was completely demolished.”
Foley said she was on hand to “be supportive, to try to help expedite things and really just help residents navigate what is obviously a frustrating bureaucracy.”
She said county officials have been working on plans to replenish sand on the beaches to protect the coast.
“If we had a deeper beach the wave action wouldn’t be coming up so close to the homes and dissipate much further out,” Foley said. “We have to make that a priority if we want to protect our coast.”
In San Clemente, the storm also caused stabilization issues to a Metrolink track over the weekend, prompting a temporary closure of the rail line.
Meanwhile, a state of emergency was declared in Malibu, where an evacuation order was issued along Sea Level Drive. That’s where pounding surf and coastal erosion opened a massive sinkhole at actor Nicolas Cage’s beachfront home Tuesday, threatening the integrity of nearby structures.
The emergency was declared Tuesday as the expanding sinkhole restricted access for residents and emergency services. Malibu’s director of emergency services issued the proclamation in consultation with the Los Angeles County Fire Department and Sheriff’s Department.
Officials warned conditions could worsen with high tides and rain associated with Marie, which remained well offshore but sent large amounts of moisture into the Southland.
Sheriff’s deputies notified affected residents in person Tuesday, and the city issued a digital evacuation alert. The American Red Cross established a temporary shelter at Malibu High School, 30215 Morning View Drive.
The trouble began early Tuesday, when the fire department responded at about 5:45 a.m. to the 31600 block of Sea Level Drive East, near Point Lechuza. The high waves also caused a gas main rupture. The Southern California Gas Co. was summoned to shut off the gas, according to a fire department spokesman.
“There is a sinkhole there, but the home is not occupied,” he said after the initial call.
The sheriff’s and fire departments closed the private road. Images from the scene showed one end of a driveway had collapsed into the sinkhole.
Malibu’s Building Safety Division and SoCal Gas assessed the area, and the city red-tagged five homes, prohibiting entry.
Malibu officials said they were also “actively monitoring and responding to coastal erosion issues in areas including Pacific Coast Highway in the Palisades Fire burn area and at Westward Beach due to strong waves and high tides, in close collaboration with partner agencies.”
Cage purchased the Sea Level Drive home in 2024 for a reported $10.5 million.