I have spent 20 years working in environmental permitting and compliance and hold professional stormwater certifications. What happened along Seal Way on September 5–6 was concerning because the flooding risk was foreseeable. Ocean water from the Hurricane Marie swell came over and around the beach berm, flooding Seal Way, the boardwalk, carports and areas beneath homes. My household spent most of Sunday removing seawater and mud. The National Weather Service had issued high-surf and coastal-flood advisories. This was not an unexpected event.
It also wasn’t the first time. Similar flooding occurred in this neighborhood in 2014 and again in 2023. The City’s own FEMA-approved 2025 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan and Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment identify the waterfront as vulnerable to flooding. The City has documented the risk. What was missing was preparation. The berm did not adequately protect the exposed frontage, the accessible beach access path remained open and created a low point for water to enter the neighborhood, and pumping did not begin until water had already reached the carports and areas beneath homes.
I am not criticizing the field crews. I saw them working tirelessly once the flooding occurred. My concern is the planning and decisions made before the water arrived.
The City should conduct an after-action review and establish clear protocols for future high-surf events, including when to build emergency berms, close beach access points, deploy pumps and provide backup pumping capacity. We cannot control the ocean, but we can control how prepared we are for conditions we know are coming.
The question isn’t whether this flooding can happen. We know it can. The question is why Seal Beach wasn’t better prepared when we knew it was coming.
Corrie Zupo
Seal Beach