Tropical Storm Rachel wreaks havoc as Long Beach boardwalk destroyed, winds batter Inland Empire

Tropical Storm Rachel has wreaked havoc along the Southern California coast , ripping apart a century-old boardwalk, leaving eight homes unsafe and sending blistering winds inland. In Long Beach, powerful waves tore through wooden slats along the historic waterfront boardwalk, with seawater breaching the remaining structure ahead of Saturday night’s high tide, video shows . By Saturday evening, the battered boardwalk had become inaccessible, with officials posting “No trespassing” signs as crews scrambled to shore up vulnerable areas before more damaging waves arrived. 8 Waves crash into beachfront homes during storm surge from Tropical Storm Rachel, Oct. 10 in Long Beach. Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP 8 Eight structures along Long Beach’s Peninsula have been red-tagged as unsafe to enter. Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP Explore More Grandpa ID’d as crazed killer who shot 9 — including his own kids, grandkids — in shocking Pa. murder-suicide: relatives NYC DSA darling makes alarming claim about violent criminal record of gangbanger shot by ICE: ‘Doesn’t even matter’ President toys with renaming Atlantic and Pacific ‘Trump Ocean’ Eight structures along the city’s Peninsula have been red-tagged as unsafe to enter , while another was yellow-tagged, allowing residents limited access to retrieve belongings but prohibiting occupancy until the property is deemed safe, Mayor Rex Richardson said. Meanwhile, in the Inland Empire footage showed a structure being ripped from the ground as two people desperately tried to stop it from being blown away by powerful winds. 8 A map image shows Tropical Storm Rachel after making landfall along northern Baja California north of Ensenada. The gusts soon overpower the man, lifting him off the ground and sending him reeling as the storm unleashed its full force. Video captured the frightening extent of the destruction, including a crack running from the foundation to the roof of one waterfront home. “It’s really heartbreaking to see how much has been affected with the surf and the high tides and everything. I mean, people are losing their houses,” Long Beach neighbor Stacey Sniezak told ABC7 Eyewitness News . 8 Long Beach is seeing damage from the high surf of Tropical Storm Rachel, more impacts expected Sunday. Sniezak, who has lived on 65th Street for 45 years, said she was devastated by the damage unfolding just steps from her home. “It’s just impossible to fix at this point, and I don’t know how they’re going to do that,” she said. The latest destruction comes as officials warn that the worst coastal conditions may not yet be over. “It is not normal that we see this type of activity,” Richardson said Saturday. “Just in this season, this marks the third hurricane in just six weeks.” 8 Strong winds impact the Inland Empire as Tropical Storm Rachel affects Southern California. Skylar & Eliseo 8 A structure was ripped from the ground as two people desperately tried to stop it from being blown away. Skylar & Eliseo “We saw Hurricane Marie over Labor Day , which was followed soon by Hurricane Polo, and now Rachel is bringing with it more high tides, more surf, erosion that continues to cause damage to properties and damage along our coastline,” he added. A mandatory evacuation order has been issued for residents on 64th and 65th streets along Seaside Walk, where homes have been battered by repeated rounds of heavy surf. “We’ve closed off vehicular access to the Peninsula for residents only,” Richardson said. “We’re encouraging everyone else to avoid the Peninsula all weekend, so that our city crews can have access and best perform this critical work.” Long Beach officials have distributed 7,600 sandbags to help residents protect their properties, bringing the total handed out across three recent storms to roughly 15,000. 8 A firefighter assesses a damaged home as waves from Tropical Storm Rachel crash over a boardwalk in Long Beach. REUTERS The National Weather Service issued a coastal flood warning for Los Angeles County beaches through 3 p.m. Sunday, cautioning that vulnerable south-facing beaches — particularly in Long Beach and Malibu — faced potentially damaging flooding. High tides of up to 7.6 feet were expected each morning, while forecasters warned that conditions could worsen Sunday as ocean swells, strong winds and rain combine. “We’re looking at an unprecedented high tide, potentially 7.8 to 8 feet, which is significant for this area,” Long Beach Fire Department Assistant Chief Jake Heflin said. Rain could add to the misery, with up to a half-inch forecast in Long Beach on Sunday, potentially worsening flooding in low-lying areas across the city. 8 In Long Beach, powerful waves tore through wooden slats along the historic waterfront boardwalk. AP Photo/William Liang “We’re not just talking about the peninsula, we’re not talking just about Naples, we’re talking about the potential for a citywide impact,” Heflin said. The storm’s effects extend beyond the waterfront, with the National Weather Service warning of significant beach erosion, strong rip currents and hazardous coastal conditions. Waves of four to seven feet were forecast Sunday, alongside potentially dangerous winds over coastal waters. In Orange County, Newport Beach officials were also scrambling to protect homes from pounding waves and rising tides, with sand berms erected along the shoreline and several popular waterfront spots temporarily closed. City officials shut the Newport Pier, Balboa Pier, Balboa parking lot and the Wedge, from the rock jetty to M Street, to protect the public and prevent damage to the barriers. “Things are looking good. Our berms are staying strong, which is great,” Georgia Rios, Newport Beach’s public information manager, told City News Service Sunday. A local emergency was declared Friday after coastal flooding inundated streets on the Balboa Peninsula, prompting officials to warn that high surf and elevated tides could bring further flooding. “Everybody got caught off guard,” Orange County Board Vice Chair Katrina Foley told City News Service, saying the swell arrived earlier than expected. “We didn’t expect the swell to hit this early. We’ve been in the planning stages for the past few weeks, but this hit a little earlier because of Hurricane Rachel. We had already planned to do some sand replenishment at Capo Beach, which we’re still planning to do on Tuesday.” Foley said her office helped secure 10,000 sandbags for Newport Beach Friday morning, followed by another 20,000, with neighboring Costa Mesa also contributing supplies. She said she also helped coordinate additional county assistance to pump water away from homes and businesses. “At my request based on a request by (the) Newport Utilities director and mayor on Saturday and Sunday, Water Emergency Response of OC sent 20 mutual aide staff to join Newport Beach city pumpers” to operate pumps, Foley told City News Service. County public works crews also sent bulldozers to build up sand berms in north Newport Beach. Newport Beach crews moved sand from the Santa Ana River bottom to reinforce vulnerable areas, while six city crews worked Friday to rebuild protective berms. Other teams operated pumps and opened tide valves to drain flooded streets. Officials warned residents not to climb on the barriers, cautioning that doing so could weaken the structures and reduce their ability to protect nearby homes and infrastructure from coastal flooding. Meanwhile, post-tropical Storm Rachel made landfall along northern Baja California, north of Ensenada, sparing San Diego the worst of the system but bringing bands of torrential rain and severe thunderstorms from California’s Imperial Valley eastward into Arizona, where forecasters warned of a serious flash-flood threat. Officials urged residents to stay away from beaches, coastal walkways and vulnerable structures, and warned drivers never to bypass barricades or attempt to cross floodwaters of unknown depth. Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters California Post News : Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , X , YouTube , WhatsApp , LinkedIn California Post Sports Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , YouTube , X California Post Opinion California Post Newsletters : Sign up here! California Post App : Download here! Home delivery : Sign up here! Page Six Hollywood : Sign up here!