High surf from Hurricane Marie floods Seal Beach, fuels dangerous rip currents

SEAL BEACH, Calif. () — Strong surf and dangerous rip currents caused flooding and prompted water rescues along the Southern California coast on Saturday, with ocean water inundating parking lots near the Seal Beach Pier and getting dangerously close to beachfront properties.

It’s the beginning of impacts expected along the coast for Labor Day weekend, with Hurricane Marie out in the eastern Pacific.

The flooding overwhelmed a vehicle in one parking lot on Saturday. Video shows about a dozen people working together to push the vehicle to safety.

After dark, wet sand covered the boardwalk, and remnants of the flooding remained visible near beachfront homes.

“This is crazy. I’ve lived here for 20+ years, and usually we get like 1- to 2-foot waves. But when we get the storm to come in here, it’s like, crazy. We’re just not used to that,” Seal Beach resident Clifford Scarborough said.

Crews moved in quickly, building a berm and pumping the water back into the ocean as part of the cleanup effort. The 8th Street and 10th Street parking lots that flooded will remain closed until Wednesday.

In Manhattan Beach, a lifeguard rescue was captured on video as Hurricane Marie, still miles away from Southern California, generated high surf and rip currents along the coast.

“It’s extremely concerning — having children, you’re always on high alert,” said Melissa Sann of Mid-Wilshire.

Los Angeles County lifeguards said they anticipated more than 1,000 water rescues during the holiday weekend. On a normal day, that number could reach 500.

“We’re expecting to see these elevated wave heights in the 3- to 5-foot range, with sets up to 6- to 8-feet up in some of our standout beaches up in Zuma Beach and Malibu,” said Jake Miller, a Los Angeles County Fire Department ocean lifeguard specialist.

Lifeguards urged beachgoers to ask about water conditions before entering the ocean and to know their limits.

Neighbors and visitors along the coast remained on alert for the possibility of more flooding.

“It just shows you how powerful it is. We have to respect nature,” Scarborough said.

A high surf advisory for SoCal coasts remains in effect through Tuesday evening.