Long Beach residents preparing for another round of bad weather
People from all over Long Beach are taking full advantage of the free sandbags at the 72nd Place lifeguard station to fortify their homes for the impending storm.
Residents who dealt with a bit of flooding from last week's storm are preparing for this latest round of weather.
"Last time, a little flooded — not much," said
Last Friday, along the Long Beach Peninsula homeowners, were hosing down the muck that slid into their garages after the coastal berm failed to keep the surf and high tide from reaching the nearby residents.
"The water had gone in about five feet," said resident Lucy Crumrine. "And fortunately, I have buckets of big towels and we were able to sop it all up."
Long Beach Fire Captain Jake Heflin said they don't expect the surf and high tide to be as severe or destructive as last week.
"We were dealing with the trajectory of the swell and that trajectory or degree of swell gave us some vulnerability here in the Peninsula," he said. "In addition, we were dealing with a high tide, so the flooding happened when the skies were blue."
Still, city crews were busy, shoring up weak zones, in the event that the waves penetrate the berms again. Homeowners weren't taking any chances either.
Many residents have put down two layers of protection for their garages by using plastic tarps and sandbags.
The fire department is reminding people that coastal communities aren't the only vulnerable locations for flooding. Residents in low-lying areas, far from the coastline also need to do their part to guard against flood damage.
"If you see palm fronds, put them up on the sidewalk," said Heflin. "Keep them out of the storm drains. We all have to get together to protect our community."
