Several streets across Southern California's coastal communities remained closed Wednesday after record-breaking king tides sent water into the roadway and businesses.
In Huntington Beach, road closures across the city were issued and remained in effect until 2 p.m. Wednesday, "for the safety of everyone on the road and to allow public safety personnel and crews to monitor conditions and respond as needed," officials said.
The National Weather Service said very high tides would continue through Thursday, reaching between 7.5 and 8 feet. Peak tides hit on Wednesday between 10:20 and 11:20 a.m.
A coastal flooding advisory will remain in effect until 1 p.m. on Thursday for Ventura and Los Angeles County Beaches. Minor to moderate flooding is expected in low-lying areas like parking lots, harbor walkways and bike paths.
Road closures include:
On Tuesday, the high tide in Newport Beach reached 8.4 feet. Officials said crews have been working around the clock to reinforce protective sand berms, operate pumps and place additional sandbags in vulnerable areas.
"Residents in low-lying and waterfront areas are reminded to keep sandbags in place, as additional King Tide events are expected in November, December and January," city officials said.
Newport Beach leaders took action on Wednesday, issuing notices and violations to residents living along the bay who hadn't done enough to help protect their neighborhood.
"Our intention is to, of course, protect other residences, protect the streets," said Newport Beach spokesperson Georgia Rios. "But it's only going to get worse. So, let's fix these issues now before it becomes a bigger problem in November and December."
Aerial footage of the Sunset Beach neighborhood in Huntington Beach showed rows of houses flooded and damaged. City officials estimate that up to 100 properties may have been damaged by the historic king tides, which have caused three straight days of flooding.
City crews are working around the clock to mitigate further damage. Work includes putting bladders in the storm drains and pumping water back into the harbor.
Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen said they're learning what they can now, with king tides again expected to hit over Thanksgiving and Christmas.
"We will look at it to see and learn from it, and what we can do in the future to prevent something like this from ever happening," Nguyen said.
Over the past few weeks, the region has been dealing with rough waters and high surf caused by El Niño.
