Orange County declares state of emergency for severe coastal erosion

Orange County declared a state of emergency after powerful waves pummeled its beaches, causing severe coastal erosion and damage to its seaside communities.

The proclamation requests help from state and federal partners and follows local declarations from Dana Point, Laguna Beach and San Clemente. Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley also urged Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency to help the recovery effort and to help the area prepare for the expected El Niño this winter.

"The County's declaration frees up resources, streamlines permitting, and accelerates our ability to support cities and residents as they face future storm surges this winter," Foley said. "I look forward to ratifying this emergency declaration at next week's Special Board of Supervisors Meeting and call on Gov. Newsom to declare a State of Emergency for the State of California."   

The strong waves left in Hurricane Marie's wake caused severe damage along Orange County's beachside communities, including Dana Point, where 10 homes were red-tagged and seven more were yellow-tagged. 

Earlier in the summer, high surf toppled a lifeguard tower at Crystal Cove after pushing several feet of sand off the beach. 

"With the larger swell and the impacts, we just lost a lot of sand and it really impacted our access to these beaches," California State Parks Superintendent Paul Andrus said.

A recent picture shows another lifeguard teetering near some rocks. Andrus wants to be sure measures are taken so beachgoers can continue to enjoy the popular spot. 

"What we're looking to do right now is figure out some ways that we can do some intermediate measures to make sure that we don't lose more of the road and more of these materials as we're preparing for the El Niño season. 

The recent swells have brought uncommon sights to Crystal Cove, including the highly venomous yellow-bellied sea snake. 

"We've only had six yellow-bellied sea snakes previously show up in California," said Greg Pauly from Los Angeles County's Museum of Natural History. "Five of those six have shown up during El Niño years. They usually show up between October and January, and so it's really unexpected that we're getting one about a month before they normally show up."

Pauly believes the early arrival indicates that more sea snakes will wash up on Southern California beaches.