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Greetings!
The impacts of Hurricane Marie were worse than expected, with many longtime residents saying these were some of the worst conditions they have ever seen. We knew El Niño could bring significant challenges, but this past weekend reinforced the urgency of preparing for the months ahead.
This weekend also showed the strength of the Peninsula community. Neighbors helped neighbors prepare, and City teams worked around the clock to protect life and property. A huge thank you to everyone who stepped up during this emergency.
From the storm, we saw significant beach erosion, damage to the boardwalk, flooding and damage to homes, and one home was yellow-tagged.
As conditions stabilize, City teams are assessing the damage and actively planning for what needs to happen immediately to prepare for the coming months. Building inspectors have been inspecting homes, maintenance crews have been clearing sand and debris, engineers are developing potential near-term solutions, and City leadership and I have been working with State, regional, and industry partners to understand what other coastal communities are doing to prepare.
We need to think about this in phases, including the immediate threat from El Niño, the midterm needs over the next three to five years, and the long-term sustainability of the Peninsula. Much of this work was already underway, but this storm has added urgency to the immediate planning. I will be looking to host a community meeting once we have enough information to make that discussion meaningful.
In the meantime, City services are being restored. Trash pickup resumed this week, and street sweeping resumed today. Parking citations are not being issued if residents are unable to move their cars for street sweeping.
I am urging residents to begin preparing now for upcoming storms. While the City was able to activate significant resources over the weekend, heavier rain, higher tides, and additional storm impacts in the coming months could stretch those resources thin.
Please prepare and keep materials on hand to protect your homes. Store water and emergency supplies, have backup power available where possible, create a family safety plan, and sign up for AlertLB to receive emergency communications.
I will continue sharing updates and next steps as more information becomes available. Please also share this email with your neighbors and encourage them to email District3@longbeach.gov so we can add them to our Peninsula-specific email list.
Sincerely,
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