{
  "id": 14263743,
  "title": "California coastal homes battered and bruised after weekend of intense waves and flooding",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/california-coastal-homes-battered-and-bruised-after-weekend-of",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-13T18:25:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Guardian US",
    "slug": "the-guardian-us",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/13/california-storm-floods"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "California's coastal communities suffered extensive damage and disruption during a weekend of intense weather, as reported by news outlets. The remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel swept through Mexico's Baja California and Southern California, including cities like Long Beach and Newport Beach. Residents witnessed massive waves crashing into homes, destroying a boardwalk in Long Beach, and forcing evacuations. At least nine homes were deemed unsafe to enter due to the storm's destruction, leaving displaced residents unable to retrieve personal belongings. The city of Long Beach spent over $1 million from its emergency reserves to address the storm's aftermath. Newport Beach declared a local emergency and briefly closed piers to enhance public safety, citing higher-than-normal surf levels that inundated streets. By Monday, cleanup efforts commenced, and piers were reopened, though officials advised caution near the water. In Las Vegas, torrential rains overwhelmed a street near the Las Vegas Strip, setting a new all-time daily rainfall record for October at 1.08 inches (2.74 centimeters). This intense weather episode is part of a larger El Niño event, which has fueled powerful and prolonged storms across the Pacific. The last five hurricanes in the region reached major status, with winds exceeding 111 mph (178.6 km/h), and one even surpassed category 5 levels. Experts predict an exceptionally strong El Niño for this year, potentially causing heavy rainfall, landslides, and destructive high tides in California and globally.",
  "summary": "Boardwalk destroyed in Long Beach and homes damaged, while Baja California in Mexico and Las Vegas also affected Southern California coastal communities are picking up the pieces after a weekend of extreme weather brought flooding that overtook city streets and intense waves battered beachside homes. The remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel hit Mexico’s Baja California over the weekend as well as…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "‘Devastating’ waves leave California beach homes on brink of collapse",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/devastating-waves-leave-california-beach-homes-on-brink-of-collapse",
        "published": "2026-10-13T13:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Guardian",
        "title": "California coastal homes battered and bruised after weekend of intense waves and flooding",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/california-coastal-homes-battered-and-bruised-after-weekend-of-14266345",
        "published": "2026-10-13T18:25:06.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}