City of Long Beach Provides Updates on Ongoing and Planned Peninsula Projects and Coastal Protection Efforts
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Above from left: City crews work with Conservation Corps of Long Beach to fortify areas of the bulkhead with approximately 1,000 sandbags on Oct. 8, 2026; City crews conduct critical repairs along the Peninsula bulkhead and boardwalk during low tide on Oct. 8, 2026.

Long Beach, CA – The City of Long Beach continues to prepare for, experience and address coastal impacts as the developing El Niño and continued hurricane activity in the Pacific impact the Long Beach coastline. Just weeks after Hurricane Marie and the subsequent Hurricane Polo, Hurricane Rachel is bringing additional high surf and tides, as well as beach erosion, to the Peninsula. City crews have been working to protect residents with ongoing storm response and mitigation efforts, a seven-point coastal protection plan and upcoming major sand replenishment projects to rebuild the beach and strengthen the community's defenses for the winter storm season.

"Protecting our residents is our top priority as high surf and erosion impact our Peninsula community," said Mayor Rex Richardson. "I appreciate our emergency response teams working together to identify unsafe conditions and support our residents through these unprecedented storm surges. I urge residents to be prepared and follow City guidance as we respond to these coastal impacts."

This week, Hurricane Rachel has continued to bring high tides and swell activity with risks of potential local area flooding to the Peninsula. Over the last 24 hours, persistent wave energy caused additional damage to the Peninsula bulkhead between 65th and 66th Place, with approximately 30 feet of the bulkhead experiencing significant damage. Crews worked diligently during low tide to repair as much as possible while conditions allowed and fortified the remaining area with approximately 1,000 sandbags where the existing lumber had been destroyed by wave action. These impacts come just weeks after two other hurricanes brought significant impacts to the Long Beach coastline and the Peninsula.

During Labor Day weekend, the City conducted extensive preparedness and response efforts to mitigate impacts seen from Hurricane Marie. These efforts continued into Hurricane Polo, as well as the currently developing Hurricane Rachel. While the City has been working to mitigate damage to the Peninsula, the impacts, including rain and potential high winds, of Hurricane Rachel will also be felt citywide. The City recently activated its sand and sandbag distribution sites at various Fire Stations across Long Beach. Community members are urged to get sandbags now and keep them through the winter storm season. Thus far, the City has distributed more than 6,300 sandbags in preparation for Hurricane Rachel and over 13,600 across these three recent storms.

"The Peninsula is experiencing unprecedented surf and swells that are continuing to put City infrastructure and private property at risk," said Third District Councilmember Kristina Duggan. "Our City teams are working between tides to repair the damaged bulkhead and deliver sand to vulnerable areas wherever possible. Conditions are expected to remain critical through the weekend and into next week."

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The City's storm preparation and response this week and during the recent storms are part of its broader efforts for the developing El Niño and winter storm season.

In alignment with Gov. Gavin Newsom's Sept. 21 emergency proclamation, the City of Long Beach proclaimed a Local Emergency on Sept. 22 to prepare for potential El Niño impacts. This proclamation provides the City the ability to take extraordinary preparedness measures and exercise the emergency powers authorized to prepare for and respond to the threatened impacts of the 2026–27 El Niño and winter storm season.

As part of this emergency proclamation, in addition to its routine maintenance and storm preparedness operations, the City has been holding meetings to coordinate with local, regional, state and federal partners and discuss operational plans related to the potential impacts across the city. During heavy storms, the City does experience localized flooding in several areas and crews work on mitigation efforts leading up to storms to help minimize those impacts while also educating community members on how they can be best prepared.

As experienced during the Labor Day weekend and Hurricane Polo, the City is also vulnerable to coastal impacts, especially in the Peninsula area. The City has developed a seven-point plan to strengthen protection of the Peninsula, addressing both immediate needs and longer-term coastal resiliency. The plan includes repairing what has been damaged, putting more sand back on the beach, creating additional layers of protection and pursuing longer-term solutions and funding.

Some of this work is already underway, while other elements will require engineering, permitting and coordination with regional, state and federal partners.

Alamitos Bay Channel Dredging Project
This fall, the $11.4 million Alamitos Bay Channel Dredging Project will begin and is expected to place 415,000 cubic yards of beach-ready sand on the Peninsula. This project, approved by Long Beach City Council in August 2026 and supported by Tidelands and Marina Capital Funds, is expected to extend the beachfront out approximately 200 feet — a needed buffer to ease wave action and flooding over the boardwalk in the impact zone.

Before the dredging project begins, the City plans to back pass additional sand onto the Peninsula. The goal is to add approximately 50,000 to 100,000 cubic yards of sand. Doing this first will help build out the beach and allow the larger dredging project to be as effective as possible. This is particularly important as the current impacts from recent hurricanes have eroded the beach significantly. This approximately $230,000 project will be funded through Tidelands Emergency Reserve, a restricted public trust fund used to account for operations, maintenance, development and capital projects along the city's coastal and waterfront areas. This funding is not from the General Fund and not part of regular City emergency reserves.  This additional sand movement has been accelerated and expected to now begin on Saturday, Oct. 10.  The dredging project has also been accelerated and expected to begin the week of Oct. 19.

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Additional City measures for storm preparedness are summarized in a Sept. 11 press release.

Review of Peninsula Beachside Structures
In response to hazardous coastal conditions related to Hurricane Rachel, City building inspectors in collaboration with the Fire Department Emergency Command Center on the Peninsula completed another review of structures threatened by rising tides and high surf today, Oct. 8. As a result, at the 6400 and 6500 blocks of Seaside Walk, the City's Building & Safety Bureau has issued preliminary red tags for two structures (three units) and one yellow tag for an additional building to ensure resident safety.   Combined with the previous yellow-tagged building from Hurricane Marie impacts, there are now four damaged structures, two red-tagged and two yellow-tagged.

A red tag indicates that a structure is unsafe for entry, and a yellow tag indicates that a building owner can enter temporarily to gather belongings but cannot stay until the house is deemed structurally safe. The red and yellow tags are preliminary determinations, and City inspectors will work with property owners to resolve their buildings' respective issues. Often, a red tag can be upgraded to a yellow tag, allowing temporary reentry, depending on the completion of repairs and the results of future inspections.

Building & Safety inspectors will continue to assess homes twice daily to flag safety concerns.

Community Preparedness
Recent weather events are a humbling reminder of climate change and the importance of emergency preparedness. Although the City has the systems in place to address natural disasters and other emergencies, residents can do their part by preparing now.  Residents are encouraged to sign up for Alert Long Beach at AlertLB.com to receive emergency notifications from the City and to check www.longbeach.gov/emergency for updates. Other emergency preparedness resources are available on the City's Department of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Communications website. More information can also be found here.

About the City of Long Beach
Long Beach is nestled along the Southern California coast and home to approximately 466,000 people. As an award-winning full-service charter city, Long Beach offers the amenities of a metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods, culture, and community. With a bustling downtown and over six miles of scenic beaches, Long Beach is a renowned tourist and business destination and home to the iconic Queen Mary, nationally recognized Aquarium of the Pacific and Long Beach Airport, the award-winning Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center and world-class Port of Long Beach.

About the City of Long Beach
Long Beach is nestled along the Southern California coast and home to approximately 466,000 people. As an award-winning full-service charter city, Long Beach offers the amenities of a metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods, culture and community. With a bustling downtown and over six miles of scenic beaches, Long Beach is a renowned tourist and business destination and home to the iconic Queen Mary, nationally recognized Aquarium of the Pacific and Long Beach Airport, award-winning Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center and world-class Port of Long Beach.

For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.

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