PHOTO: San Francisco Chronicle
In the United States, residents along the California coast were yesterday cleaning up after flood damage caused by massive waves that hit the area the day before.
They also prepared for more extreme surf and heavy showers expected over the weekend.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service (NWS) had issued high surf and coastal flood warnings for much of the California shoreline, with waves projected to reach heights of 6, 7, and even 12 metres in some areas, reports Reuters.
The dangerous surf and coastal flood threat was due to a Pacific storm system bringing heavy downpours to the West Coast, coinciding with exceptionally high tides known as king tides.
The NWS cautioned about significant flooding in vulnerable coastal areas and the potential dangers of large breaking waves.
The coastal town of Ventura, located approximately 105 kilometers northwest of Los Angeles, experienced the impact on Thursday. Heavy waves inundated residences and businesses with seawater, sand, and debris from the ocean.
Video footage shown on NBC News showed powerful, unpredictable waves crashing over a seawall onto a street along the beach, causing people to fall as others hurried to safety on Thursday in Ventura. Eight individuals were reported to have sustained injuries.
The aftermath was evident the following day at a hotel by the ocean, where debris cluttered ground-level porches and first-floor windows were covered with plywood after being shattered.
In the vicinity, workers spent the morning stacking sandbags to shield other properties located in low-lying areas from additional harm.
A resident, Dan Roundtree, 63, whose residential complex was flooded, told Reuters that the water went over the wall and flowed down the street like a river, as shown in the videos.
He said they are trying to recover from yesterday’s flooding and prepare as best as they could for the next day.
While residents prepared for the next wave of water to hit, the situation did not deter a few dedicated surfers who wore wetsuits to take advantage of the still high but less intense waves from yesterday during the relative calm before the forecasted conditions for today.
Kenny Powell, 64, another Ventura resident and surfing enthusiast, said that although many surfers enjoy riding big waves, Thursday’s conditions were too challenging for him to enter the swells.
“We even had to rescue a few people from the water,” he said. “Mother Nature had more in store than we had anticipated.”
-BTS Media
