King tides swamp California city in floodwater as ocean surges up busy street

A tidal surge swallowed streets in Newport Beach on Monday morning, sending knee-deep floodwater rushing into a picturesque coastal neighborhood as frantic residents scrambled to protect their homes and businesses.The ocean spilled into the upscale Orange County enclave as king tides battered the Southern California coastline, turning normally bustling streets into waterways and threatening another round of destruction in a city already reeling from severe flooding earlier this month. Aerial footage from KTLA showed residents desperately stacking sandbags along Edgewater Avenue and Washington Street on the harbor side of the Balboa Peninsula as murky water surged toward local businesses.  The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.Please provide a valid email.

By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story Elsewhere, streets near 38th Street and River Avenue, close to the entrance of Newport Island, disappeared beneath roughly a foot of water.And one longtime resident said the flooding was unlike anything the coastal community had ever experienced.“Not only have I never seen anything like this, there’s never been something like this,” Newport Beach resident Bill Sharp told the outlet.Sharp said a tidal gauge registered a staggering 8.3 feet at 9:18 a.m.

Monday.“It’s a new record, and this is absolutely unprecedented,” he said.Fortunately, no injuries had been reported as of Monday morning.The frightening scenes unfolded as city crews worked to fortify sand berms, deploy pumps and reinforce vulnerable sections of the coastline against the relentless onslaught of seawater.Newport Beach City Manager Seimone Jurjis told the Los Angeles Times officials had been preparing for the dangerous conditions and monitoring the situation.“Our City teams have been busy reinforcing sand berms, evaluating vulnerable seawalls, placing sandbags, insp...