Storm-battered Long Beach fears the worst as Hurricane Polo looms

As Hurricane Polo bears down on Southern California, some residents in storm-battered Long Beach are either boarding up their homes or preparing to leave.Beachfront residents are still cleaning up from the brutal pounding they took from Hurricane Marie over Labor Day weekend as the newest storm threatens to unleash even more damage.Meteorologists say monster waves could collide with high tides on Monday and Tuesday, forcing city officials to declare an emergency. The National Weather Service is also forecasting elevated surf and powerful rip currents along Southern California beaches beginning this weekend and stretching into next week, as several southerly swells roll toward the coast.Along Long Beach Peninsula — where Marie’s towering waves flooded homes, destroyed cars and smashed the boardwalk — one resident said he’s preparing to leave.“I don’t think this house is gonna make it.

We’ve got a sinkhole underneath where the sand used to be,” said Shawn Jeffery, who’s lived in his rental apartment on the Peninsula for nine years. “I’m going to put my stuff in the garage before this weekend, so I’m ready to go.”The beach in front of his home lost nine feet of sand during Marie, leading to the collapse of his building’s foundation and washing away steps from his deck.He boarded up his windows so the crashing waves predicted from Polo don’t break his windows.“The city’s not helping,” he fumed.

“We’re doing everything ourselves.”Jeffery’s neighbors said this year’s storms are the worst they’ve ever endured — and they’re worried about what’s going to come.“We’ve never seen a monster like this,” said Julio Zamarripa, a retired pilot who lives steps away from the shore.“If you have a home facing the ocean, it’s lethal.”Zamarripa, whose home was spared during Marie, said authorities need to replenish the sand on the beach immediately to prevent more damage to the neighborhood.“What are they waiting for...