Recently, in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, three consecutive hurricanes have formed, with Hurricane “Marie” near the US West Coast. Although “Marie” did not make landfall on the mainland US, the massive swells it generated in the open ocean are causing California’s coast to experience unusually towering waves and severe emergencies in recent years. As the US Labor Day long weekend holiday approaches, several beaches in Southern California have issued “life-threatening” alerts.
According to multiple media reports, due to the prolonged period of swells, dangerous waves reaching 3 to 6 meters have appeared at Newport Beach, about 64 kilometers south of Los Angeles, accompanied by deadly rip currents. In just one day on September 5th, local lifeguards carried out 177 emergency water rescues, a rare occurrence.
The swells have extended northward, prompting beach hazard warnings along the coast of San Francisco, San Mateo County, Point Reyes, and Big Sur, among other locations.
Meanwhile, intense coastal erosion in Southern California has caused significant structural damage in coastal communities. Near Point Lechuza in Malibu, violent waves have eroded the sand beneath a private coastal road, causing the roadway to collapse into a giant crater approximately 9 meters (30 feet) wide.
Of note, Hollywood star Nicholas Cage’s luxurious seaside mansion in that area is dangerously situated at the edge of the crater, with the driveway in front of the house completely collapsed.
The erosion from the massive waves has also led to the rupture of a natural gas mainline. Currently, the Southern California Gas Company has urgently cut off the supply, and the Malibu City Building and Safety Department has labeled five surrounding homes with red danger tags, strictly prohibiting entry.