Powerful waves from Tropical Storm Rachel battered California’s Long Beach Peninsula last week, leaving multimillion-dollar beachfront homes damaged and crumbling into the ocean. The Southern California coastline experienced significant destruction, with the storm’s swells ripping through parts of the famed boardwalk and exposing properties to relentless surf. Video footage showed waves crashing into waterfront structures, causing some buildings to collapse as the sand beneath them was washed away.

At least eight buildings, covering 13 residential addresses, have been declared unsafe to enter, according to Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson. Rachel follows Hurricane Marie, which caused major damage to oceanfront homes in September, marking another episode of intense weather in just six weeks. Despite extensive protective measures, including the deployment of 3,000-pound sandbags, waves breached defenses during low tide, leaving officials struggling against shifting conditions on the coast.

“There have been preparations — we even deployed 3,000-pound (1,360 kg) sandbags,” Fire Department spokesperson Melanie Miller told the New York Post. Local real estate agent Juan Huizar noted that buyer interest in waterfront properties will likely decline, citing concerns over insurance costs and vulnerability to such events. “I can’t imagine a buyer right now saying, ‘take me to the Peninsula.’ That’s going to be a very hard sell,” Huizar said.

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The devastation extends beyond luxury estates. Paris Porter, an Olympic sailor who rented a one-bedroom beachfront apartment on the peninsula with her husband for nearly two years, described their home as a “glitch in the system” that had provided stability during uncertain times. After three storms destroyed their residence, Porter and her spouse secured temporary housing for eight months. “To see three storms undo a place that brought so much peace is devastating,” she wrote, emphasizing the broader impact on neighbors who lost far more than they had. Porter, who represented the U.S. at the 2016 Rio Olympics, is now focusing on recovery ahead of her goal to compete at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

Cleanup efforts continue, with Long Beach officials working to rebuild sand and repair coastal damage.