In preparation for the potential of more flooding as upcoming king tides push water levels higher, homeowners in areas with the highest risk are being told they must take protective measures or face fines of up to $1,000, Huntington Beach officials warned.
Some Sunset Beach property owners received notices in recent days telling them to take appropriate flood-mitigation measures around their homes, such as “clearing drainage paths, securing loose materials, or installing and maintaining sandbags or other barriers,” according to a social media announcement the city made Tuesday, Nov. 11. Homeowners were given a deadline of three days.
“The order is intended to protect you, your neighbors, emergency access, and public infrastructure,” city officials said.
For properties next to the harbor channel, homeowners should secure “the full perimeter” with flood barriers at least two feet high, equivalent to four stacked sandbags, officials said.
Failing to take the required protections within three days could lead to possible fines, administrative costs, or “city-performed emergency mitigation and recovery of authorized costs,” city officials said.
Huntington Beach officials recently held a community meeting to share flood preparedness tips, emergency response plans and a new resource portal ahead of the anticipated king tides Nov. 24 to 26.
During a string of high tides in October, more than 100 homes and other structures were damaged by coastal flooding, 38 of which were yellow-tagged and 10 were green-tagged. Pacific Coast Highway was also closed in sections over several days.
On Nov. 25, when the king tides are expected to peak, the forecast calls for high tides above 7 feet in some parts of Orange County’s coast and 6.8 in the Huntington Beach area, according to the California Coastal Commission’s King Tides Project. But that does not account for the generally higher water levels the region has seen in recent weeks, which have been adding one to nearly two extra feet to the predicted tide levels.
City officials previously said Public Works crews have raised sandbags on city-owned seawalls from two to four rows — equivalent to about 10 feet above sea level. The city also increased its inventory of inflatable bladders and worked with Caltrans to install more airbags inside state-owned storm drains on Pacific Coast Highway.