Laguna Beach leaders weigh in on El Niño preparedness

Orange County coastal communities in recent months have experienced concerning events emanating from high surf and wave activity, and with an expected wet winter ahead, cities are raising awareness for residents and visitors about the impending El Niño season.

The city of Laguna Beach Monday held a workshop on the topic, with representatives across several city departments presenting the details on the city’s preparedness efforts and advising members of the public how they might ready themselves for weather-related incidents.

Officials recently declared two local emergencies due to impacts brought on by Hurricane Marie and Tropical Storm Rachel.

The beach community has experienced coastal erosion and sand loss, as well as damage to public infrastructure, notably resulting in the closure of the Aliso Beach parking lot.

After storm surge flooded part of the downtown area, the city built a sand berm at Main Beach.

“We see some of that coastal flooding when we do have high tides and high surf paired together,” Marine Safety Chief Kai Bond said. “The tides are completely different from the surf. The tide is how high the ocean is where we are, just as far as the tidal surge. The surf is the size of the swell.

“If we have those two things together, meaning king tides, very high tides and lots of surf, then we run into some problems. I will tell you that our next very high tides that we’re supposed to see are around Thanksgiving and on Christmas.”

Bond has regularly put out advisories on social media, asking beachgoers to check in with a lifeguard and be aware of their abilities before entering the water.

During the presentation Monday, Bond said warmer-than-usual waters — approximately 75 degrees — have resulted in large beach crowds past the busy summer season and, therefore, more rescue activity for lifeguards.

With rain in the forecast for the weekend, Police Lt. Jesse Schmidt advised drivers and pedestrians to steer clear of stormwater hazards.

“The motto is, ‘Turn around, don’t drown,’” Schmidt said. “Six inches of fast-moving water can sweep an adult human off their feet. We don’t have very many river channels or fast-moving waterways, but we do have a lot of hills. We do have a lot of mountainous hillsides that, during precipitation, can get water moving quickly. When you’re driving, when you’re walking, when you’re parking, take those things into consideration.

“Twelve inches of fast-moving water can move a smaller vehicle, 12 to 24 inches can move a bigger vehicle,” Schmidt added. “...It’s never safe to walk through those flood conditions. It’s never safe to deal with [utility] lines down in water. … It’s never safe to deal with power lines that are down when it’s not in water, so anytime you see lines down, don’t test them. Don’t go near them. Call 911, let us know the location and move away.”

Reza Jafari, the city’s deputy director of public works, said annual inspections are done for drainage infrastructure and roofs at city facilities. Invasive vegetation removal programs also help with drainage capacity and flow.

“Every year, we inspect over 1,000 storm drain facilities,” Jafari said. “That includes items such as headwalls, spillways, manholes, V-ditches, in-pavement frame and grate sets, catch basins and curb inlets. We inspect every piece of storm drain infrastructure at least once a year. We make note of its condition, and we make note of the amount of debris that was in there.

“After we measure that debris, we clean it up, remove it, dispose of it, and we do this annually to ensure that the storm drains function when they’re needed in a rain event.”

Pre-filled sandbags are available for pick up at the Act V parking lot (Lot 16) in the canyon and the inland parking lot at Aliso Beach in South Laguna. Empty sandbags are available at fire stations throughout town, according to city officials.

Gabriel Linares, deputy director of community development, said between eight and 10 properties have so far been tagged, in various capacities, due to events related to El Niño. He encouraged property owners who experience damage to their property — be it from earthquake, fire, flood or rain — to contact the department for inspection.

“With the storms that are happening right now, we’re seeing the [rising] of the tides, damage to seawalls, damage to backyards that are facing the ocean,” Linares said. “With the rain, we can see some damage to the slopes, so we’re going out to these sites, and we’re available at any time of the day to go out and inspect those sites.”