California homeowners evacuate as hurricane sends monster waves crashing into their homes

California homeowners were forced to flee their properties Monday as powerful waves from Tropical Storm Marie battered the Long Beach Peninsula, sending seawater over a seawall and into homes.Residents along the low-lying stretch faced another dangerous night of high tides and pounding surf after a stormy Labor Day weekend left streets flooded, houses damaged and sand berms washed away. Firefighters went door-to-door Monday night to tell people at 20 homes along the seawall between 63rd Place and 67th Place that they needed to evacuate.The Long Beach Fire Department said the seawall had been compromised, while portions of the nearby boardwalk had also sustained damage.City building officials were sent into the neighborhood to assess whether the affected houses remained structurally sound, with reports of cracked and damaged concrete between some of the properties. The evacuation came as massive waves repeatedly surged over the seawall, battering homes and pushing water and sand into properties.Family members were seen arriving to help relatives pack up and leave as waves continued crashing into the waterfront.Several inches of water and sand had already spilled into coastal neighborhoods over the weekend, while residents in Long Beach and nearby Seal Beach worked to clear flooding and debris left behind after ocean water overwhelmed berms designed to protect the communities. The force of the ocean also chewed away at the protective wall itself, with pieces breaking loose and being swept toward the sea.Long Beach Fire Battalion Chief Jake Heflin said officials now need to determine how badly the waterfront infrastructure was damaged and what can be done to protect it from future storms.“We’re going to have to do a real assessment on the boardwalk, the impact of this storm on the boardwalk, the impact of this storm on the waterfront here, and what that looks like — how we do this, how do we reinforce this, and how we build up, because this is just the beginn...