Hurricane Marie sparks mass flooding in Seal Beach in California on Labor Day weekend

Hurricane Marie is impacting the Southern California coastline with powerful swells and dangerous rip currents, triggering flooding, water rescues and a frantic effort to keep ocean water away from homes.The storm, churning in the eastern Pacific off the coast of Baja California, is not expected to make landfall in the Golden State — but it is already hitting beaches in Los Angeles County to Orange County.At Seal Beach on Saturday, ocean water surged into parking lots near the pier, flooding low-lying areas and trapping vehicles.Video obtained by ABC7 showed roughly a dozen people joining forces to push one overwhelmed vehicle out of the floodwaters.By nighttime, wet sand had spread across the boardwalk and flooding was still visible at homes along the shoreline.“This is crazy.I’ve lived here for 20+ years, and usually we get like 1- to 2-foot waves.

But when we get the storm to come in here, it’s like, crazy.We’re just not used to that,” Seal Beach resident Clifford Scarborough said.Crews responded by constructing a berm and pumping seawater back toward the ocean.

The 8th Street and 10th Street parking lots that were inundated are expected to remain closed through Wednesday.The dangerous conditions weren’t limited to Seal Beach.In Manhattan Beach, a lifeguard rescue was caught on video as towering swells and powerful currents created hazardous conditions despite Marie remaining hundreds of miles away.“It’s extremely concerning — having children, you’re always on high alert,” Melissa Sann of Mid-Wilshire said.Los Angeles County lifeguards are preparing for a particularly busy holiday weekend, with officials anticipating more than 1,000 water rescues.On a typical day, that number can be around 500.“We’re expecting to see these elevated wave heights in the 3- to 5-foot range, with sets up to 6- to 8-feet up in some of our standout beaches up in Zuma Beach and Malibu,” Los Angeles County Fire Department ocean lifeguard specialist Jake M...