More than six years after Colm Horkan’s death, his presence remains unmistakable in the meticulously maintained family bungalow in Charlestown, Co. Mayo.

Photographs and keepsakes fill the walls and rooms, including an image of Colm at his passing-out ceremony in Templemore beside Garda Adrian Donohoe, who was also killed in the line of duty.

In the front room, a modest glass-fronted cabinet holds his medals and awards, Garda hat and epaulettes marked with his unique shoulder number, RL 255. The display also includes the tricolour placed over his coffin at his State funeral.

Together, the mementos reflect a life devoted to serving the Republic and representing his local GAA football team. For Colm’s surviving siblings and their father, both achievements remain a profound source of pride.

“Colm was very quiet. He was a very quiet man,” his brother Dermot tells the Irish Mail on Sunday.

As Dermot speaks, his sister Deirdre and brother Padraig watch on and help fill in the details. The affection they felt for Colm is clear in every recollection, a reflection of his place in this large, traditional Irish family.

The 63 pages of heartfelt messages posted on rip.ie after Colm Horkan’s death also demonstrate the deep regard in which he was held throughout his wider community.

“We’re from Charlestown, Co. Mayo. The seven of us were all raised in a pub in the centre of town called the Dewdrop Inn,” Dermot says.

“That’s where we were born. Colm was born there too. They were born up the street,” he adds, gesturing towards his siblings.

“We all lived in The Square and worked in the bar. Our parents sold it after the three eldest had gone to America.”

Dermot explains that the family included two sets of twins, with Colm belonging to the older pair. His twin sister, Colette, died from cancer in the United States in 2005.

“There were two boys in the middle, Brendan and Aidan. Sadly, Aidan passed away in September 2023, and then Padraig was the youngest.”

“So it was just Colm and the rest of us – me, Deirdre and Padraig. Colm had applied to join the Guards, which meant there would be no one left to work in the bar. That was when they sold it.”

“My mother had been unwell, so they sold the bar and Colm joined the Guards. He was a real Guard. He was straight, you know.”

“There was no messing with him. He did everything strictly by the letter of the law.”

“When we were young and a report came home from school, you were never afraid of my father. You were afraid of Colm because he was the father figure in our lives.”

“Colm was exceptional at everything he did. He was an outstanding footballer and didn’t drink until he was about 25.”

“He was very straight, but everyone loved him. He was such a pleasant fella. Still, when Colm spoke, people listened. If he gave you advice, you took it.”

‘We all went to him for advice. He was the grounding for us, for all of us.

‘But when our sister Colette was dying in States, he went over. He was the boss of our house, in the very best way. He was the anchor for us all.

‘He got his own room all his life; the rest of us had to share a room. There was seven of us but Colm always had his own room,’ says Dermot, laughing fondly.

‘He was the, you know…if you woke up in the middle of the night and went up to mum and dad, you’d be told go down to Colm, and you’d get into bed with Colm.

‘He was just very good to us. He would give you the best advice and put you on the straightest road.’

Colm first worked as a fireman, a role which remained, his family say, his ‘first love’.

‘He was 23 when he joined the Guards, and then he was 25 when he passed out,’ Dermot continues.

‘He had been in the fire brigade prior to that, locally. When he worked in the bar, he was in the fire brigade as well.’

Dermot, an undertaker who still works part time with the fire brigade, says: ‘Colm’s heart, I think, was still always with the fire brigade. 

‘The lads used to say in Ballaghaderreen, when he’d be sitting in the [Garda] station, [with] the guards there and [when] they heard the fire engine up the town, and Colm would jump up and he’d say, “Come on, we have to go and see.” They’d be [say], “We’re not firemen, we’re guards.”

‘But Colm would have to jump in the car and go out.’

Colm passed out from Templemore in 1995. ‘He was stationed first in Finglas, Dublin until he came down in 1999, down to Castlerea, so he was in Castlerea from ‘99, and then he transferred into Ballaghaderreen in 2013.’

Colm was based in Finglas in the wake of journalist Veronica Guerin’s murder, in 1996, and many of the gangsters implicated in her killing were based in the Finglas area. 

‘He loved Finglas and loved Dublin, but he loved it back here too – of course, Castlerea was very quiet versus Finglas,’ says Dermot.

He proudly tells the MoS of Colm’s prowess on the football field, saying: ‘The football was going really well here at the time, and he was involved with the senior team. 

‘They won the county final in 2001, with Charlestown Sarsfields [GAA club]. So he’s a medal for every age. They won at every grade: 12, 14, 16, East Mayo Junior. He has a junior, senior, intermediate, and county medal.

‘And then he has a Connacht medal, so he was part of a team that excelled on the field.’

‘He was a very good footballer, he played in the forward line, number 11.’

He adds: ‘He played for the May under-21s as well.’

As well as a sporting hero, Colm was a straight-down-the line, by-the-book type of garda.

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If any members of the family had been given a speeding ticket and had cautiously approached Colm for advice, he would take the money, pay their fine at the Garda station for them, and they would have to accept the penalty points.

Dermot remembers: ‘He said one time, “There is a fine to be paid in Roscommon Garda Station. Yeah, give me the 60 pounds.” He [Colm] comes back with the receipt and says, “There you go.”’

The siblings laugh fondly at the memory. ‘He used his discretion too, of course – but not with his family!’ Dermot adds.

Colm had only been with the detective unit six weeks before he was murdered.

Poignantly, Colm had told his family that he believed his new role was safer as there was a lot of dangerous anti-social behaviour in the area at the time.

‘Colm said, “I’m going to go up to Castlerea into the detective unit” and I said, “What are you doing going back up there for?” 

‘He said, “It’s so dangerous now. I’m in Ballaghaderreen on my own. You’re going up and there are people off their heads out in the gardens, drinking vodka and I’m going up trying to take knives off them and everything. I’m on my own. At least when I’m on the detective unit, there’ll always be two of us.”

‘And that night [of Colm’s murder], the guy that was working with them had taken leave, so he was on his own.’

As this mention of Colm’s murder hangs in the air for a moment, it’s obvious the family recall the sequence of painful events in vivid detail.

Dermot explains: ‘My ex-partner [Sinéad] was a guard who worked with Colm in Ballaghaderreen, and another garda that works in Ballaghaderreen was up and got the word, and called Sinéad and he said, “Has anybody called ye?” 

‘And she jumped up on the bed and she said, “No. Why? What’s wrong?” And he said to her, “I think he [Dermot] should get here. Colm has been shot.” The incident occurred around 11.55pm and we got the call around 12.20am.

‘I rang Deirdre at 12.30am and said, “I’m on my way to Ballaghaderreen, Colm is after being shot.” 

‘Normally, Deirdre would never have her phone in the room, and she was like, “What?” and I go, “Don’t move anywhere in case you have to go to a hospital or something.” And she was making a cup of tea, and Aidan and Padraig came into this house.’

In Ballaghaderreen, Dermot came upon a terrible scene.

‘He [Colm] was never taken to hospital, he was gone when we got there,’ Dermot explains.

‘The ambulance was still there, and they were using the thumper [defibrillator] on him, but you could see he was gone.

‘He was at peace. We were left standing up in the street there, and then the lady in the shop brought out a cup of tea to me and Sinéad.

‘The whole place was in turmoil – even the guards were crying.

‘We [Dermot and Sinéad] get into the car and Colm’s mate – he’s a sergeant [who] lives down the town but he was based in Swinford, but heard it on the radio – he drove home ahead of me, and we had to leave Castlerea and drive down here home. 

‘It was only afterwards, I thought about it. I said to my ex-partner [who is a Garda], “How come we weren’t offered to be brought up to the station, or a cup a cup of tea?”

She said, “He’s up there.”’

The ‘he’ Dermot is referring to is Stephen Silver, who was later sentenced to life in prison for Colm’s murder, and who is currently waiting on the outcome of an appeal hearing. 

Dermot continues: ‘But not one person said, “Here, we’ll bring you home” or whatever. They’ve apologised since then and said they were sorry.

‘Nobody had rang us since [the first garda] had rung us, unofficially, and I landed up the road in Castlerea,’ says Dermot.

At this point some of the siblings begin to cry, and Dermot also grows emotional. ‘No gardaí came here that night,’ he says, as the others nod in sad agreement.

‘No guards. No police. No doctor. Nobody came to the house where most of us were. No one ever officially notified us he was dead or that he’d been shot. Nothing.’

‘And the first person that came here in uniform was [former Garda Commissioner] Drew Harris, the next day at about two o’clock. 

‘When we went up and sat through the trial, we learned that a sergeant identified his body.

‘We didn’t even get asked to identify his body. His sergeant was asked to identify his body.’

Undertaker Dermot shakes his head in disbelief. 

‘Every death you go to, a family member is asked to come and identify their loved one. 

‘We didn’t even get asked to go and identify him. They’ve apologised since that. We’ve had it out with them, and they said, “We didn’t know where he lived. We didn’t have any details on him.”

‘They had no details on anyone, no next of kin.’

He adds: ‘Since then they have put all that in place – they have learned from it. They said they were traumatised. 

‘They said, “We never even thought of ye. We didn’t and we’re sorry.”’ 

Four of the siblings told their father, Marty, in the early hours. Eventually, Colm’s body was brought home.

Dermot says: ‘The Commissioner [Drew Harris] came the next day with the Chief Superintendent Tony Healy, for Mayo and another officer. 

‘He came and he offered us a State funeral and discussed about that because it was Covid and how they had to restrict it or whatever.’

Colm Horkan was honoured by the State as his murder is considered a crime against the State.

But it would be another three years before the family found out about issues with the holster – and when their fight to get answers from that very same State began.

Billy Ray Cyrus has made his first public appearance since Elizabeth Hurley sparked engagement speculation by showcasing a large diamond ring on her ring finger.

In footage obtained by the Daily Mail, the 65-year-old country singer was seen walking through a parking lot in West Hollywood, California, with a newly purchased guitar strapped across his back.

Asked directly about reports that he and Hurley are engaged, Cyrus sidestepped the question and replied: “I got me a new guitar.”

The “Achy Breaky Heart” singer, who recently posted an emotional tribute to his close friend and collaborator Dolly Parton, remained tight-lipped about the engagement rumors during the guitar-shopping trip. His outfit, however, made a bold statement.

Cyrus arrived at the guitar store in a black car wearing his trademark Western-rock combination: a silky red shirt covered in a colorful print and gray camouflage trousers.

A pair of aviator sunglasses concealed his eyes, while his tousled hair blew in several directions, adding to the signature look he has become known for. His open shirt also revealed several chain necklaces across his chest.

Cyrus’ outing came after his British girlfriend of more than a year, 61-year-old Hurley, shared behind-the-scenes photos from her series The ‘Burbs and appeared to show off the striking ring.

In one selfie, Hurley wore a white robe and displayed her long legs, but it was the dazzling ring that quickly drew the most attention.

Sources alleged the country crooner has proposed to the Austin Powers star, per Page Six.

“She’s filming The ‘Burbs; I hardly think this ring is a prop,” an insider told the outlet.

Cyrus appeared to add further fuel to the speculation on Thursday when he shared an Instagram post that included a ring emoji.

The image showed the Hannah Montana alum in profile, wearing sunglasses and a dark gray leather-and-denim jacket over a charcoal-colored shirt.

He initially used the post to promote the “Party’s in the Back” remix he recorded with country-rock trio DELTONA, which was released October 2.

“This is the most fertile solid ground I have stood on in a long time,” Cyrus wrote.

“Party’s in The Back with DELTONA went over a half million views in a few days. It’s fun. Speaking of … wait until you hear them on I Want My Mullet Back 20 year anniversary special. They also join me on a John Prine tribute track of the classic and still relevant to a whole new generation…. ‘Storm Windows.’”

“I like seeing peoples dreams come true. I’m so excited for the show this weekend teaming up with NASCAR in Phoenix!!! Kinda has a ring to it,” he concluded, adding the eye-catching emoji in what appeared to be another cryptic reference.

The couple met on the set of the 2022 movie Christmas in Paradise, and reconnected after Hurley reached out to Cyrus with a supportive text in early 2025 following his divorce from Firerose.

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They made their relationship Instagram official on Easter 2025, and followed that up with a PDA-filled, red-carpet debut in Italy the following month.

Hurley has been married once before to Arun Nayar from 2007 until their separation in 2010 and eventual divorce a year after that.

She previously and famously dated British actor Hugh Grant for 13 years before their relationship came to an end in 2000.

The Bedazzled star had a son, Damian, 24, with late businessman Steve Bing.

Cyrus, meanwhile, has walked down the aisle a total of three times. He was previously wed to Cindy Smith from 1986 to 1991, then to Tish Cyrus from 1993 to 2023, and finally to Firerose for about seven months until their split in May 2024.

Hurley shared that they prefer living the quiet life in the countryside while splitting their time between her farm in Herefordshire, England and his farm in Tennessee.

Hurley has acknowledged they may seem very different, but insisted they are a lot more alike than people realize.

Speaking on the SheerLuxe podcast, she quipped: ‘There are a lot more similarities than you’d think. We have the same hair. Identical hair. Apart from his beard, we’re actually like twins.’

She joked Cyrus looks like he could be the father of her model son Damian, and that a recent photo of the three of them with her brother Michael showed them all looking like ‘cousins.’

Hurley admitted they are an ‘unlikely pairing in some ways’ but their lives are actually ‘quite similar.’

‘We’ve both lived out of suitcases our entire life,’ she explained. ‘And we both also a long time ago moved out of the cities. 

‘He’s got a farm in Tennessee, I’ve got one here in Herefordshire, and neither of us really go out much unless we have to ’cause it’s work. So there are a lot more similarities than you’d think.’

However, she noted she is much more organized than the singer, and she is often shocked by his diet.

‘He sort of bumbles around. He’s a bit more bumbly than me,’ she said.

‘He can’t cook and he doesn’t eat properly and there’s never any food in his house.

‘When I arrive I’m like, “What have you been eating?” “Oh, nothing.” Sweets or popcorn or something. 

‘So there are differences. But because we both like sort of snuggling up, we’re actually quite similar.’

Donald Trump’s new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, faced a relentless Fox News interview on Thursday over her widely criticized first White House press briefing.

The intense scrutiny has already prompted questions about whether her tenure as the administration’s latest spokesperson could be short-lived.

During Tuesday’s briefing, the 41-year-old answered only three questions, struggled through several responses, mistakenly referred to the president as her husband and ended the session after roughly 14 minutes.

When Zacharia appeared on Sean Hannity’s show late Thursday, she may have anticipated a sympathetic conversation on the president’s preferred television network.

Instead, Hannity pressed her on the poor performance and challenged whether she could legally describe herself as a lawyer after never passing the US bar exam.

“You did not pass the bar exam, correct?” Hannity asked. “Correct,” Zacharia replied. When he asked whether she had ever retaken it, she clarified: “I did not.”

Zacharia returned to Fox & Friends on Friday, where she was asked whether she believed she still had the president’s confidence.

“I’m standing here, and I was able to travel with him through all of the midterm rallies, and I hope to be able to build the trust and confidence of everyone around me,” she said, smiling broadly.

Asked by Hannity to assess the awkward briefing, Zacharia said she had been offered the job only the previous Friday and had not been given enough time to prepare for the question-and-answer session.

“What I feel is I really stepped up to the plate to do the press conference, Sean, with very little prep time,” she said.

“Given the fact that I had been on the job less than maybe eight hours, and had a briefing book in the morning, I feel like I did my very best, Sean, to deliver for the American people that day.”

Hannity then asked: “Am I hearing that you think the staff should have prepped you better?”

Zacharia replied that the event should have been limited to a short introduction to the press corps rather than opening the floor to questions.

During Tuesday’s briefing, she was unable to immediately answer whether the United States planned to halt intelligence sharing with Ukraine. “I’ll have to get back to you on that,” she said.

The limited session also left reporters without the opportunity to question the new White House spokesperson about Trump’s controversial proposal to purchase Russian diesel or the reported “energy ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine.

Zacharia has previously said she practiced law before entering politics, while Trump has referred to her as an attorney.

According to Pepperdine University, she received her law degree from the institution in 2011.

Although nearly all licensed lawyers in the United States first earn a law degree, graduates cannot legally practice law until they have been admitted to a state bar.

Following Tuesday’s press conference, a reporter asked Ms Zacharia where she passed the bar exam, and she gave a confusing answer: ‘When I moved to China’.

Speaking to Hannity, Ms Zacharia clarified that she failed the bar before moving to China, where she said she got a job in a Chinese law firm.

Hannity suggested she would have been better off telling reporters that she graduated from Pepperdine and took a different career path, instead of continuing to call herself a lawyer.

‘Why didn’t you just say, “I never practiced law”?’ he said. 

Ms Zacharia has previously claimed she consulted Pepperdine’s president and attorneys, who agreed that she was allowed to be labelled a ‘lawyer’ due to her degree and legal experience in a firm. 

She was not, however, allowed to use the terms ‘attorney’ or ‘esquire’ when appearing on television to offer legal analysis.

Nevertheless, she has shared at least 15 social media posts identifying her as an “attorney” over the past two years, according to CNN.

The posts, published to Ms Zacharia’s X and Truth Social accounts between April 2025 and September 2026, featured Fox News headlines and One America News segments identifying her as an attorney, a title she repeatedly amplified to her audience.

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‘I think they were retweets, and I corrected the record and said that those not endorsing the title, they were retweets of a title that had been given,’ Ms Zacharia told Hannity when questioned about the posts.

He concluded the interview by asking Ms Zacharia what she ‘might do a little differently going forward’ in her role, before offering her some ‘unsolicited advice’. 

‘That’s never going to be a friendly room to you,’ he said.

Ms Zacharia replied saying she would ‘absolutely be very well prepared on the briefing’ in future conferences.

Under California law, those who practice law in the state need to have passed the bar exam, and it is a misdemeanour to pretend to be a lawyer.

In a previous interview on Real America’s Voice, Ms Zacharia cited the advice she said she had been given about identifying herself as a ‘lawyer’, adding that her degree helped support her use of the title. 

‘They said absolutely across the board, you can call yourself a lawyer, you have a JD, and, to buffer that, you have international legal experience in transactional law, which gives you the ability to analyse it, not necessarily give advice,’ Ms Zacharia told the outlet. 

Following the interview, one MAGA account posted on X: ‘Hannity was clearly out for blood. She might not make it to November.’

Semafor editor Max Tani said: ‘Hannity knows Trump watches his show. His decision to ask Katie Zacharia real questions instead of just defending her or criticising the media seems pretty notable.’

Mr Trump was spotted being greeted by his beaming ‘human printer’ assistant Natalie Harp and Ms Zacharia in a photo from their trip to Alaska on Tuesday afternoon.

Ms Zacharia and Ms Harp, 35, sat side by side in close proximity to the 80-year-old president aboard Marine One as they prepared to fly from Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage to Wasilla, Alaska.

Ms Harp was dubbed the ‘human printer’ after she was said to carry a portable device to print out social media posts and articles favourable to the president.

She has been the subject of recent public scrutiny because of the nature and intensity of her relationship with him.

She was revealed to have sent Mr Trump gushing emails and was by his side when he covertly switched planes via a catering truck after a Nato summit in Turkey on the basis of a supposed assassination threat from Iran. 

Later, during a political rally in Wasilla, the president had Ms Harp bring him the pardons for Zachary Czuback and Patrick Fleming, co-owners of a vehicle repair shop in Anchorage. 

Both men pleaded guilty in 2022 to violating the Clean Air Act by tampering with federally mandated and monitored devices that tracked vehicles’ diesel emissions.

Ms Zacharia hadn’t even left the White House podium after her first on-camera press briefing when her colleagues started knifing her.

‘I feel badly for her… her kids and family watching,’ one source said. 

A senior Trump communications official called it ‘terrible on so many different levels’, while another called it ’embarrassing’. 

A GOP communications expert sent only a single dumpster fire emoji.

As the Daily Mail previously reported, Mr Trump hired Ms Zacharia on the spur of the moment without consulting his Chief of Staff Susie Wiles or any serious vetting. 

‘Her hiring and the briefing shows this White House is collapsing now that they’re facing real pressure,’ a senior Trump administration official told the Daily Mail.

‘They have no idea who to hire. We’re entering wartime and they’re completely unequipped.’

Officially, the White House press shop is calling the performance ‘commanding’.

Mr Trump himself, asked by reporters later in the day, offered a six-word verdict: ‘I thought she was very good.’

A 34-year-old man was killed in a shooting at a Midtown Manhattan subway station Saturday afternoon, after what authorities described as an apparent dispute.

The shooting occurred at approximately 12:20 p.m. inside the 7th Avenue station near 53rd Street, according to the New York City Police Department.

An NYPD spokesperson said the suspect pulled out a firearm and fired, striking the victim once in the chest.

After the shooting, the suspect ran from the station and headed north along 7th Avenue.

The victim went into cardiac arrest on the subway platform as first responders performed CPR at the scene.

Emergency medical crews transported him to Bellevue Hospital in critical condition, but he was later pronounced dead.

Authorities have not yet released the victim’s name. The investigation remains active, and no arrests have been announced.

“The New York City Police Department is requesting the public’s assistance in locating the individual who is wanted in connection with a homicide,” an NYPD spokesperson said.

Police described the suspect as male and said he was last seen in a red tracksuit, black vest and black face covering, with a backpack.

Michael Kemp, chief security officer for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said the agency is working with the NYPD to collect surveillance footage from the platform and subway cars in an effort to identify and locate the suspect.

“Guns have no place in transit, which is why we’ve strongly supported New York State’s legal fight to make sure it’s illegal to carry them in the subway system,” Kemp said. He described the incident as a dispute between two people that ended in tragedy.

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Kemp added that those responsible should be arrested and face the full consequences of the law, noting that no one outside the confrontation was injured.

Mauricio Marroquin, a Queens resident, told the New York post that he saw several people rushing out of the station as he finished his morning work shift.

“Everybody was running. I saw a gentleman laying right in front,” Marroquin told the outlet, describing the victim as wearing a blazer and appearing to be on his way to or from work.

He said the shooting unfolded suddenly, just feet from where he was standing.

“It was two shots,” Marroquin said. “He only got hit with one, like, that’s weird. And they were eight seconds apart.”

‘Another gentleman was just talking to him, like, “Hey, man, wake up, wake up, stay up, stay up, stay up”‘ Marroquin said. 

‘Due to police activity, expect road closures, traffic delays, mass transit disruptions and a heavy presence of emergency personnel in the area of 7th Avenue and West 53rd Street in Manhattan. Use alternate routes to avoid the area and allow for additional travel time,’ the NYCEM wrote in an emergency notification. 

Earlier this October, the NYPD announced: ‘major crimes across the city’s vast transit system is up slightly so far this year, up 0.9% (1,628 vs. 1,613), an increase of 15 crimes compared to 2025 and up 3% (519 vs. 504) in the third quarter.’ 

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch spoke alongside Mayor Zohran Mamdani as they shared updates on the 2026 quarterly crime statistics.

They explained that felony assaults and nonviolent grand larcenies have driven up the transit crime rates throughout the year. 

The NYPD has urged anyone with information regarding this shooting incident to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or submit tips online to their website. 

Homeowners along a breathtaking stretch of California coastline are furious with their mayor as powerful waves continue to erode the shore and threaten to pull their properties into the ocean.

Ocean Boulevard on the Long Beach peninsula, south of Los Angeles, was once celebrated for its postcard views and million-dollar beachfront homes.

Now, after a series of extreme weather events including Tropical Storm Rachel, residents are turning their anger toward city leaders, accusing officials of mishandling the crisis.

‘The mayor of Long Beach doesn’t give a damn about this community,’ Dennis Poulsen, 84, a Long Beach homeowner, told the Daily Mail, referring to Democrat Rex Richardson, who has served as mayor for four years after previously working on the city council.

‘His natural constituency is not here and he doesn’t really care,’ Poulsen said.

Poulsen built his home beside the beach 21 years ago. The property is estimated to be worth about $5 million, according to Realtor.com, the online real estate marketplace.

He said only ‘just a little bit of water’ entered his house last week, and sandbags have since been installed for protection. Nearby properties, however, suffered what he described as ‘significant damage.’

Storm Rachel slammed the waterfront last week, with fierce winds and towering waves tearing away almost 30 feet of a century-old boardwalk. The destruction left several homes dangerously close to collapsing into the sea.

Dramatic drone footage captured waves smashing into one Long Beach home, surging as high as its second-floor windows while sections of the building and boardwalk were swept into the water.

Floodwater spilled across side streets and patios before forcing its way into homes and damaging personal property.

Paris Porter, a hopeful member of the 2028 Team USA Olympic campaign, was also among those affected by the storm.

In a heartbreaking social media post, Porter said her home had collapsed into the ocean.

Porter and her husband lived in a one-bedroom oceanfront apartment ‘that had everything we could have ever wanted,’ she wrote.

‘Seeing the destruction, not only to our house but to everyone around us, breaks our hearts,’ she added. Porter said the couple had secured temporary accommodation for the next eight months.

Rachel marked the third major storm to hit the area in just six weeks. Mayor Richardson said last weekend that ‘it is not normal that we see this type of activity.’

‘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.’

Authorities placed yellow and red tags on several homes. Yellow tags allow owners to retrieve belongings but prohibit them from remaining in the property, while red tags mean the building is too dangerous to enter. Both types of warning appeared on Poulsen’s neighbors’ homes.

Mayor Richardson proclaimed a ‘local emergency’ to manage the extreme weather from October 8 to October 13.

‘Our teams have distributed thousands of sandbags, built sand berms, cleared drains and reinforced damaged coastal protections,’ Richardson wrote on Instagram.

‘Our city teams and neighbors have worked together every step of the way.’

However, locals have questioned the city’s response efforts like sandbag distribution sites which limited each resident to a maximum of 10 bags, with one commenting: ‘Lol yeah those cup cake bags will stop the ocean.’

Others took to Facebook asking: ‘Why didn’t the city start doing something about this a couple decades ago when beach erosion had already started?’

Another one commented: ‘Did they really think Mayor Rex was going to handle this well?’ 

Poulsen accused the city of ‘wringing their hands and doing half measures. But it’s too little too late.’

The century-old bulkhead separating houses and beach was seen destroyed by the latest storm. Poulsen described the wood’s condition as ‘badly eroded and decrepit.’ 

‘That’s what’s beginning to happen because of years of neglect and inaction on the part of the city,’ Poulsen claimed, adding that the city has known about the condition for a long time. 

The 84-year-old was furious when city councilwoman Kristina Duggan described the devastation caused by storm Rachel as a ‘wake-up call’ during a meeting. ‘It’s absolute nonsense,’ the 84-year-old told the Daily Mail.

‘They’ve talked about it for 11 years. But unless you’ve got people on the ramparts that shout louder than the person next to them, things don’t get done.’ 

He explained that a ‘study group’ held a first meeting to assess the situation of the threat facing beachfront houses within his own four walls in 2015.

Poulsen told the Daily Mail that the group ‘had preliminary recommendations’ to take preventive measures sooner but that those were ignored by city officials. ‘It shouldn’t take a huge storm to get somebody to do something.’

According to a mayor’s office press release, the city is now preparing for the ‘threatened impacts of the 2026-27 El Nino and winter storm season.’

To protect Long Beach from recurring extreme weather and continuously rising sea levels, the city announced an $11.4 million dredging project – the process of scooping sand from the seafloor and depositing it onto the shoreline. 

The project is expected to place 415,000 cubic yards of ‘beach-ready sand’ on the peninsula and projected to extend the beachfront out around 200 feet, the press release stated.

The Daily Mail contacted Rex Richardson, Kristina Duggan and the Long Beach City Council for comment.