Tropical Storm Rachel wreaks havoc as Long Beach boardwalk destroyed, winds batter Inland Empire

Tropical Storm Rachel has wreaked havoc along the Southern California coast, ripping apart a century-old boardwalk, leaving eight homes unsafe and sending blistering winds inland.In Long Beach, powerful waves tore through wooden slats along the historic waterfront boardwalk, with seawater breaching the remaining structure ahead of Saturday night’s high tide, video shows.By Saturday evening, the battered boardwalk had become inaccessible, with officials posting “No trespassing” signs as crews scrambled to shore up vulnerable areas before more damaging waves arrived.The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

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Never miss a story Eight structures along the city’s Peninsula have been red-tagged as unsafe to enter, while another was yellow-tagged, allowing residents limited access to retrieve belongings but prohibiting occupancy until the property is deemed safe, Mayor Rex Richardson said.Meanwhile, in the Inland Empire footage showed a structure being ripped from the ground as two people desperately tried to stop it from being blown away by powerful winds.The gusts soon overpower the man, lifting him off the ground and sending him reeling as the storm unleashed its full force.Video captured the frightening extent of the destruction, including a crack running from the foundation to the roof of one waterfront home.“It’s really heartbreaking to see how much has been affected with the surf and the high tides and everything.I mean, people are losing their houses,” Long Beach neighbor Stacey Sniezak told ABC7 Eyewitness News.Sniezak, who has lived on 65th Street for 45 years, said she was devastated by the damage unfolding just steps from her home.“It’s just impossible to fix at this point, and I don’t know how they’re going to do that,” she said.The latest destruction comes a...