Capistrano Beach homes continue to suffer from pounding Orange County surf
Orange County's coast has been battered by the effects of Hurricane Marie, prompting a state of emergency declaration and a sense of urgency to prepare for the upcoming El Niño storms.
A second storm-battered oceanfront home in Capistrano Beach has been torn down, while eight houses in the private development on Beach Road are red-tagged and seven remain yellow-tagged.
"We put kind of a huge band aid on it and then re-did the timber and kept any of the water to come in and saved all the sand and put everything in sandbags and it's held the whole time," construction worker Chuck Patterson said.
Construction crews are using whatever means they can to shore up crumbling sea walls and damaged decks at the adjoining properties.
Pounding waves continue to erode the foundations and carry sand away. "It's El Niño this winter, we haven't even really seen the real destruction, so we're doing the best we can to help them have a little peace of mind," Patterson said.
It's been almost two weeks since the front of Chris Roger's red-tagged cottage crumbled into the sea. He hopes the Governor's emergency declaration will allow him to save what's left of the home and start construction.
"The ability to rebuild quickly, and that entails cutting through the red tape and bureaucracy to really streamline permitting and approval of plans," Rogers said.
Protecting the country's second busiest commuter rail line running through San Clemente, which is often hit with heavy surf, is a top priority for Orange County officials.
The statewide declaration is expected to clear the path to replenish sand where it's needed most.
"What will happen is we'll be able to bring in sand and create a big buffer next to the railroad tracks. That sand buffer is going to protect the railroad tracks but also protect the beaches," Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley said.
Foley said the quickest and least expensive option is to take the sand from the ocean floor and move it to the beach beneath the train track.
That required a specific dredger and a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers. Foley hopes it can happen before El Niño storms batter the rail line.
