Southern California ignores the warning of Hurricane Polo

By Daniel Okafor · Reporting from New York ·

As Hurricane Polo threatens Southern California, local cities fight a losing battle with sandbags and rocks to protect beaches that have already vanished.

Southern California is ignoring the warning of Hurricane Polo. The storm intensified from a tropical depression to a Category 5 hurricane. The National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (.gov) said the pressure dropped at the second fastest rate on record in the eastern Pacific.

The speed of the storm

Hurricane Polo weakened to a Category 4 storm, Free Malaysia Today said. This change mirrors how Hurricane Patricia grew. Both storms intensified into Category 5 strength because their pressure dropped and their winds sped up. Hurricane Otis followed this pattern in 2023 when the system intensified in the eastern Pacific.

The seawalls will not hold

Water, not wind, threatens California. Sam Zuber of the National Weather Service in San Diego said swells from the hurricane coincide with astronomical tides. She said high tides mean any "little bump-up in the surf" will impact the coast. Zuber advised people to stay away from beaches. The Los Angeles Times said this warning covers Sunday through Tuesday. Mike Wofford of the National Weather Service in Oxnard said humidity will rise by 10% to 15%. This moisture will breach the coast.

Can sandbags save the coast?

Governor Gavin Newsom declared an emergency to prepare for storms. He responded to warnings from Eric Blake. Blake, a specialist at the US National Hurricane Center, said rainfall can cause floods and mudslides. Workers are now stockpiling sandbags before rains arrive. California followed this pattern in 1997 and 1998 when the state reinforced river channels. They stabilized cliffs and prevented structures from collapsing. Today, the danger differs because the beaches have already vanished. No sand remains to absorb the waves.

City managers fight a battle they cannot win. Tom Modica, the City Manager of Long Beach, said Hurricane Marie stripped sand from a stretch between 62nd and 69th places. He said, “we can’t even get trucks down there to build out the berm.” The storm eroded the coast and caused a sinkhole in Malibu. Officials evacuated 31 homes and declared an emergency. Georgia Rios, a Newport Beach spokesperson, said crews are reinforcing berms. The city is moving sand to protect the peninsula. Jessica Spaulding, a Dana Point spokesperson, said workers are placing rocks along Beach Road. Geoff Patnoe, the Carlsbad city manager, said the city is maintaining the coast.

The facts show a coast that has lost its armor. When astronomical tides meet the swells of Polo and Odalys, the berms will fail. Cities treat these floods as isolated events rather than a collapsing coast. Southern California faces a vanished beach.

Sources

  1. Los Angeles Times: Hurricane Polo is coming. Here’s what it means for Southern California
  2. National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (.gov): NOAA Satellites Monitor Hurricane Polo’s Rapid Intensification
  3. Free Malaysia Today: Hurricane Nolo threatens Hawaii with catastrophic flooding