A luxury resort in Laguna Beach is relocating guests away from its first floor as powerful Pacific swells threaten Southern California, bringing the risk of coastal flooding and severe beach erosion from Sunday through Thursday.
Surf & Sand Resort is taking precautionary measures while large waves continue to pound the shoreline. A hotel employee told The California Post that the property will not accommodate guests on the first floor during the period of heightened danger.
“We are putting no guests on the first floor,” the employee said, explaining that the decision was made out of caution. The worker added that the resort had not sustained damage and had remained standing through previous major storms.
The resort’s response reflects a much wider problem along the Southern California coast. Rising tides and eroding beaches are reducing the natural protection around homes, businesses and vital public infrastructure.
The National Weather Service office in Los Angeles said minor to moderate coastal flooding could develop from Sunday through Thursday. High tides are expected to reach between 7.5 and 8 feet, potentially exceeding earlier forecasts by as much as 1.5 feet.
“HEADS UP!!!!” the agency posted in a warning that also called for moderate to significant beach erosion. Officials said conditions in some locations could become serious enough to trigger upgraded alerts.
California’s Office of Emergency Services said a Coastal Flood Advisory would cover the state coastline from Oct. 25 through Oct. 29. Coastal Flood Warnings were also issued for Orange and San Diego counties.
Concern grew further after an Instagram video began circulating that appeared to show part of Surf & Sand’s oceanfront seawall giving way. The video and the extent of any possible structural damage have not been independently verified.
Blair Conklin, a Laguna Beach surfer and skimboarding champion, filmed the turbulent conditions as waves slammed into a shoreline where the loss of sand has left beachfront buildings increasingly vulnerable.
“There’s a reason they call it Beach Road,” Conklin said. “Surf and Sand is now the surf and boulder, and Beach Road is now—it’s definitely a rocky road.”
Conklin said offshore reefs that once absorbed some of the waves’ force no longer appear to be offering the same level of protection.
“Waves are not breaking on those reefs that used to protect our coast a little bit,” he said. “They’re passing over the reefs because it’s deep enough, then doubling up and hitting the structures farther inside—and there’s no sand buffer.”
The coastal emergency is not limited to Laguna Beach.
Near El Moro and Crystal Cove, crews are carrying out a $4 million emergency project to shore up a damaged 360-foot bluff. Heavy machinery, rock and sand-filled plastic bags are being deployed ahead of the expected king tides.
Several homes along Beach Road in Capistrano Beach have reportedly sustained structural damage. Six or seven properties have been marked with red tags, meaning they are considered uninhabitable, and demolition work is underway.
The latest coastal threat comes after a series of hurricane-driven swells linked to Marie, Polo and Rachel removed large amounts of beach sand. An oceanic Kelvin wave is also contributing to the unusually high water levels.