Hurricane Surge + High Tide Arrive, Surge Overtops Breakwater, Produces Modest Wave Sets Along LB's Beach & Peninsula; Protective Berm Holds, Residents & City Crews Await Next Surge
Ocean Blvd. along Peninsula (55th Pl to 72nd Pl.) CLOSED to gen'l public, entry for residents only
Some damage reported in Port; two terminals suspend operations
ON-SCENE LIVE/ON-DEMAND VIDEO and PHOTO coverage by Community Correspondent Dan Halverson
Additional reporting by Bill Pearl
(Aug. 27, 2014) -- As seen with LIVE VIDEO COVERAGE on LBREPORT.com earlier today (Aug. 27), the combined power of several-hundred-mile distant Pacific hurricane ("Marie") plus a midday high tide produced a "surge" that had white-caps breaking on LB's breakwater, and pushed wave sets onto LB's usually nearly waveless Granada and Peninsula beaches.
Screen save from LIVE VIDEO by Dan Halverson
LBFD/LBPD say Ocean Blvd. is now CLOSED to the general public along the Peninsula )(55th and 72nd Pl.), open to residents only.
[Scroll down for further]
At midday, seawater breaking against the seaward side of the breakwater produced white-caps and brough multiple wave sets onshore. While not as high as waves on other south-facing beaches (which saw some waves estimated at 15-20 feet), LB's breakwater attenuated waves reached a modest height and seawater was visible where it usually isn't.
Shortly after an 11:01 a.m. high tide, a surge sent seawater nearly half way northward to west peninsula entrance parking lot...and chased this reporter -- with LIVE video streaming -- back up the beach.
Screen save from LIVE VIDEO by Dan Halverson
To see VIDEO of the "surge" and high tide in the 11 a.m. and noon hours (as webcast LIVE on LBREPORT.com), click video icon below.
ADVISORY: In an 11:57 a.m. dispatch, LBFD stated in pertinent part: "[A] storm surge is expected today (Aug. 27) at approximately 6 pm, followed by a high tide at approximately 11 pm. Stay safe and stay informed. #LBSurge. Ocean Boulevard between 55th Place and 72nd Place remain closed. Residents Only."
Surfers mulled waves that materialized in LB. A few miles south in Seal Beach, some waves were estimated at 15-20 feet high, reaching the underside of the Seal Beach pier.
Photo by Dan Halverson
City crews (Parks & Rec) worked to shore up a protective sand berm on the peninsula. Photo by Dan Halverson
Observed at midday today: some cargo ships offshore turned to face on the oncoming suges stern-to-bow in a north/sound direction.
At midday, the Port of LB said two cargo terminals -- but not all terminals -- are suspending vessel operatons due to [PoLB text] "10- to 15-foot high wave surges powered by Pacific Hurricane Marie endangered longshore workers. Total Terminals International on Pier T, with two Mediterranean Shipping Co. container ships at berth, and Crescent Terminals on Pier F, with two break-bulk ships including a MOL roll-on, roll-off vessel at berth, stopped working the ships late Tuesday."
[PoLB text]...There was flooding reported at Crescent. All other terminals at the Port of Long Beach remain open for vessel operations, and trucking operations at all terminals, including at TTI and Crescent, are also continuing and unaffected by the wave surges...The surges were so powerful Tuesday night that heavy rocks from the Navy Mole breakwater were tossed onto the nearby roadway. Road damage was reported on Nimitz Road near the Sea Launch satellite-launch vessels, closing the roadway pending repairs. Sea Launch employees were being escorted through the nearby TTI terminal to get to their offices...The Port's Harbor Department Maintenance Division was working to clear the rocks from Nimitz Road, while the Construction Management Division was evaluating needed repairs. When the road would re-open has yet to be determined. In addition, two barges broke loose from their anchorage overnight Tuesday, and were later towed and docked at berths T136 and T134. A pleasure craft also had to be towed to safety. No injuries have been reported.
As reported before dawn today (Aug. 27) by LBREPORT.com, an evening high tide (Aug. 26) sent some seawater over or through part of the western portion of a Peninsula sand berm, sending water past sand and onto the ocean side of Ocean Blvd. between roughly 55th Place to 57th Place, reaching roughly curb level before dissipating into storm drains
Hurricane Marie (at one point a Category 5 Hurricane, now weakening to near Tropical Storm levels) is south of the Baja Mexico border and veering NW away from Long Beach...but has been sending "surges" toward southern CA beaches, especially south facing beaches (like Long Beach.) Long Beach, unlike Seal Beach and Newport Beach (which saw some waves topping 20 feet), has an attenuating federally-built breakwater...which has attenuated -- but not entirely dissipated -- the waves and swells.
The next "surge" is expected at roughly 6:00 p.m. today...and the next high tide is expected at 10:54 p.m. (roughy 5.09 feet.)
Stay with LBREPORT.com for continuing coverage of this story.
