Huntington Beach reels from king tide flooding, braces for future impacts

Approximately 114 buildings sustained damage, with six homes receiving yellow tags, restricting access due to safety hazards. A fire broke out within one structure when saltwater interacted with a lithium-ion battery.

City crews responded swiftly, deploying resources to protect vulnerable coastal areas like Sunset Beach and Huntington Harbour. A Mobile Command Post was activated in anticipation of the flooding.

King tides occur when the moon is closest to Earth and aligns with the sun, resulting in exceptionally high water levels. The tides also disrupted transportation, leading to the closure of Pacific Coast Highway between Seal Beach and Huntington Beach and the suspension of Orange County Metrolink service between Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo and Oceanside.

Newport Beach experienced similar flooding, with floodwaters inundating residential streets and homes, leaving some vehicles partially submerged. Emergency crews utilized pumps and sand berms to combat the rising water.

The recent flooding follows closely on the heels of Tropical Storm Rachel, which previously caused damage to homes and boardwalks, including Long Beach’s century-old boardwalk. Newport Beach had previously declared a local emergency on October 9th due to tidal flooding and swells impacting the Balboa Peninsula.

Experts predict that this week’s events serve as a warning of more intense El Niño storms expected this winter.