OC beach cities prepare for more dangerous surf after busy rescue weekend
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. (KABC) -- Orange County beach communities are preparing for another round of potentially dangerous surf after a weekend that saw hundreds of ocean rescues amid strong waves and rip currents.
In Newport Beach, lifeguards rescued 425 people over the weekend and conducted an additional 6,500 preventative actions, along with 55 medical responses and six boat calls, according to city officials.
At Aliso Beach in Laguna Beach, waves crashed into the parking lot as strong surf affected portions of the coastline. On Monday, the city announced the Aliso Beach west lot was closed after weekend high surf eroded the edge of the lot. City staff removed electrical lines mounted to at-risk palm trees, as well as some of the pavement, according to city officials.
"The waves look big but they're actually more dangerous than they look," bodyboarder Milo Rodriguez said.
The powerful surf also continued to reshape local beaches. At the Wedge in Newport Beach, coastal erosion exposed remnants of construction from the 1930s and 1940s. Newport Beach City Councilmember Erik Weigand said he recently pulled a sharp metal object from the sand that had been uncovered by the shifting shoreline.
Last week, the Newport Beach City Council approved a study session to discuss solutions for the loss of sand along the coast.
"Every day something is changing down here and our guys are constantly monitoring it, building berms if there's going to be a big storm, protecting the assets of the homeowners that are behind us, but doing our best just to make sure that we preserve the beach because this is historic," Weigand said.
As communities recover from the latest swell event, officials are already preparing for another. On Monday, cities including San Clemente, Laguna Beach and Newport Beach began planning in anticipation of what experts described as a potential significant ocean event.
In San Clemente, crews began protecting infrastructure along the beach, including pushing sand in areas around restrooms, concession stands and other access points. They also began staging additional sandbags at their Marine Safety Headquarters, noting as the need develops, they would make sandbags available at local parks. They also worked to clear ditches and drains.
"We have extra meetings this week with the city manager and other department heads to prep, make sure that we have berms built, protecting all this so that's really the intent," said Zac Gentry, Newport Beach's municipal operations director. "We get out here early and make sure that we build additional berms to protect everything."
Forecasters with the National Weather Service are monitoring tropical systems moving across the Pacific Ocean.
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"It is possible we could have some significant rains and winds, but it is a small possibility right now," said Dr. Ariel Cohen, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Los Angeles. "We really need everyone to be aware that the predictability of a system like this, especially this far out, is extremely low."
Even if the systems do not bring rain or wind, Cohen said they are expected to generate significant surf.
"We are expecting it," Cohen said. "That will be likely over the weekend timeframe into next weekend that we're experiencing very significant potentially dangerous wave energy, very high surf."
In Newport Beach, crews have already begun building additional berms, and city officials said they are closely monitoring areas near the Wedge to ensure they remain stable as the anticipated swell approaches.
