Hurricane Polo Approaches California’s Coastal Cities

California’s famous coastal cities are on high alert as Hurricane Polo heads towards them, prompting at least one city to declare a state of emergency.

Long Beach and Newport Beach are racing against time to rebuild sand barriers that were badly damaged by Hurricane Marie earlier this month as they brace for more potential destruction.

On Tuesday, the Long Beach City Council approved an emergency declaration from City Manager Tom Modica, which grants city crews the flexibility to strengthen the beachfront areas.

However, some residents express doubts about whether they can complete the necessary preparations before Hurricane Polo arrives. Long Beach resident Charley Snyder shared his concerns, saying, “Everything is not built back up again, so it’s a little nerve-wracking for sure.”

Councilmember Kristina Duggan spoke about the significant impact of Hurricane Marie, emphasizing that it was much more than just a typical coastal storm. In fact, she noted that the Peninsula beach lost over eight feet of height in just two days during that event.

“That’s massive,” she remarked. The storm left “tens of millions of dollars in city infrastructure at risk” and posed threats to private property as well.

Meanwhile, about 33 miles to the southeast, Newport Beach is facing a similar predicament. Councilmember Erik Weigand mentioned they were working hard to shore up their berm in anticipation of the potential double impact from Hurricane Polo.

After Hurricane Marie devastated the area, Newport Beach had to gather 200,000 cubic yards of sand from the Santa Ana River to help reinforce its shores.

The preparations come as the city has only a few hours left to get ready for significant waves that could reach four to six feet. Modica warned that they might face downed power lines, trees, and property damage as a result of the approaching storm.

Polo is currently labeled as an “extremely dangerous” hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph, having recently downgraded from Category 5 to Category 4. Forecasters expect it to shift course and continue moving west-northwest over the coming days.

While it seems unlikely that California will see a direct hit, various forecast models indicate that Polo or its remnants could still impact California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas in the next week or so.

Southern California might experience effects even if the hurricane remains offshore. Residents are understandably anxious about the potential for more damaging outcomes, especially given the previous destruction.

Charley Snyder expressed concern over the lasting damage, stating, “There is so much damage that happened before, and to think there is so much that has been done and we haven’t really been able to bounce back.”