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From his veranda on the Peninsula, VR Venkataraman gets a front-row seat as wave after wave fueled by Tropical Storm Rachel slams the bulkhead and sprays upwards, more than two stories into the air.
For now, his defenses are holding.
Venkataraman is not an engineer, but he’s acting like one to protect his Seaside Walk home. In recent days, with the help of city officials and work crews, he reinforced the bulkhead with 12-by-2 boards and added vertical columns supported by wooden braces, riveted into the boardwalk at the angles he determined would provide the most support.
“I did the geometry, figured it out, taught the crew how to do it, and did one with them,” said Venkataraman, a former doctor who now owns an Indian-Mexican fusion cafe. “I’m a human being with adequate knowledge and experience of life. That’s all.”
He is one of many Long Beach Peninsula residents taking swift, creative action in an attempt to save their homes after high surf and tides from multiple storms have eroded beaches and battered properties along the coast. On Saturday, though some residents expressed frustration that there wasn’t more preventative action ahead of this fall’s extreme weather, they said they appreciated how the city has sprung into action and partnered with them to salvage whatever they can.
“It’s a process of learning,” Venkataraman said.
On Saturday, city crews continued to shore up beaches where sand was washed away as surf driven by Hurricane Marie pounded the Peninsula last month. By morning, sand berms were piled up ahead of high tide. Other emergency repairs included pumping water off streets and filling in the exposed bulkhead with 1,000 sandbags. Storm drains appeared clear and were able to receive water from flooded streets.
Venkataraman was not prepared last month when high surf rushed into his ground floor and dumped more than a foot of sand, rubble and shells into his crawl space, he said. He was forced to rip out several feet of drywall and air out his home with 66 heaters and 18 humidifiers from Home Depot.
His first floor was still torn up when powerful waves charged by Tropical Storm Rachel arrived at his door again this week. But this time, he knew he had to take quicker, preventative action. He reinforced the planter on his lower level with wood and sandbags and bolstered the bulkhead with various supports.
Though he and his family evacuated and are staying in another home they own, he has been returning to his Peninsula residence during high tides to check on the reinforcements and evaluate what else needs to be done.
He said he now hopes to reinforce the bulkhead on the ocean side, adding 2-by-4 planks for stability. And he said he will continue to periodically tighten the rivets on the support beams, as they loosen with each wall of water that crashes down.
Other residents have also stepped in to buttress the bulkhead. On Friday, the sand berm protecting 62nd Place washed away, and waves “brought the whole ocean and sand down the street,” said Marc Moore, who lives there. Once the water had receded, he started picking up 10-foot pieces of wood and digging them into the sand near the bulkhead — a DIY solution in the hopes of taking a bit of power out of each swell. “Every wave you can stop might protect somebody’s home,” he said. He added the city should have done more to avoid this current disaster, but now they were fully activated and working closely with residents.
Stay prepared
Sign up for emergency alerts through the city’s notification system, Alert Long Beach.
Sandbags are available through Tuesday at these locations:
- Fire Station 7 — 2295 Elm St.
- Fire Station 12 — 1199 E. Artesia Blvd.
- Fire Station 13 — 2475 Adriatic Ave.
- Fire Station 14 — 5200 E. Eliot St.
- Claremont Beach Parking Lot — 5400 E. Ocean Blvd.
Be sure to bring your ID and a shovel or tool. Residents can pick up a maximum of 10 bags.
Some residents said they were anxious for what was to come throughout the weekend; the National Weather Service issued a coastal flood warning, and a high surf advisory on Sunday as rainy weather set to arrive threatened more damage. Nine properties were red-tagged as too dangerous for residents to remain, and several structures noticeably creaked and sagged as the waves continued to hit.
Still, Venkataraman and his neighbors remained hopeful and focused on action.
“It may be a losing battle,” Venkataraman said, adding he is not ready to give up. “I’m a warrior. I will fight until the bitter end.”