In collaboration with the Coastal Commission, Newport Beach is fast-tracking seawall construction as homeowners and businesses along the battered coast prepare for another round of record high tides.
Permits that normally take three months to one year to process are being expedited and issued within one day to raise and repair seawalls.
A crew on Newport Beach's Rhine Channel is extending the seawall in front of homes and businesses to a height of 24 inches.
"What used to be here was just a simple dock ramp and dock railing, and what we're adding is poured cement into a mold," homeowner Aaron Cohen said, adding that it has custom rebar and is rustproof.
Cohen is the first to secure a permit from the city under the new process, helping property owners prepare for the next weather event. Officials say most get the permit the same day.
"Currently, we have a number of properties that have older seawalls that are lower than the expected high tide," Jaime Murillo, Newport Beach Community Development Director, said.
Cohen's is just one of hundreds of properties on Newport Harbor that could be impacted by exceptionally high tides during the week of Thanksgiving and Christmas. He wants to be ready.
"I'm excited about the seawall, I think we never knew that we needed it, but I think the city is in crisis management now," Cohen said. "I wish there was a little more crisis prevention."
Last week, parts of the Balboa Peninsula flooded when the tide rose to eight feet.
The water was so high near Cohen's home that it spilled out of the bay and onto nearby streets.
Raising seawalls to prevent flooding is crucial in many cases because sandbags can only do so much.
"Sandbags are great, but they don't totally stop or prevent flooding, right?" Murillo said. "They leak; there could be a breach through the sandbags, so constructing a permanent seawall extension is the best protection."
