Long Beach Peninsula repairs continue as homes remain unsafe

Some homes on Long Beach’s Alamitos Peninsula remained too dangerous to enter as crews continued emergency repairs to storm-damaged coastal infrastructure, according to reporting published Oct. 12. The surf damage was associated with Tropical Storm Rachel. The Peninsula remained closed to nonresidents, and visitors were urged to stay away from damaged areas.

MyNewsLA reported that street closures began at 62nd Place. The restrictions affect access to the Peninsula, while the warnings direct visitors away from damaged coastal infrastructure. LAist reported that cleanup and emergency repairs were underway and that some seaside homes remained unsafe to reenter.

Crews were reinforcing damaged sections of the bulkhead and boardwalk with lumber beams. The city planned to place about 30 heavy-duty sandbags at 65th Place, each weighing roughly 3,000 pounds. About 1,000 sandbags had been used to fortify roughly 30 feet of damaged bulkhead, according to city and local reporting.

Emergency sand placement has a revised timeline

MyNewsLA reported that City Manager Tom Modica told reporters Saturday that crews had begun moving 45,000 cubic yards of sand. That describes work underway, not a completed placement. The Oct. 8 city update projected that an additional 50,000 to 100,000 cubic yards would be placed, initially anticipating a start on Oct. 10. MyNewsLA reported on Oct. 12 that this additional placement was expected in the week of Oct. 19.

The Oct. 8 city update estimated the additional sand work at about $230,000 and said the city planned to use the Tidelands Emergency Reserve. The added placement is separate from the Alamitos Bay Channel Dredging Project, which the city said the City Council approved in August. That project is projected to place 415,000 cubic yards of beach-ready sand on the Peninsula. The city expected dredging to begin in the week of Oct. 19, with Tidelands and Marina Capital funds supporting it.

City-issued releases give different costs for the dredging project: $11.4 million in the Oct. 8 update and $9.27 million in an earlier release. The figures conflict, so neither establishes a settled project cost. Separately, LAist reported that more than $1 million in one-time storm-response costs had been paid from Tidelands emergency reserves.

Permanent repairs remain an estimate

The Los Angeles Times reported that a city spokesperson estimated permanent repairs would cost between $1.5 million and $3.6 million and projected completion by year-end. That is an estimate and forecast, not confirmation that repairs are complete. LAist reported that the city urged owners of damaged private homes to contact insurers and said longer-term demolition and cleanup of those homes were the owners’ responsibility. The city was also seeking state reimbursement, but no amount or timing had been established in the reporting.