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High surf expected along Orange County coast
The city of Seal Beach is among the local coastal communities offering fill for sand bags to protect against flooding during the upcoming series of storms.
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Jill Replogle/KPCC
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High surf expected along Orange County coast
Along with the series of storms headed toward Southern California in the coming days, the National Weather Service issued a high surf warning for Orange and San Diego counties from Thursday afternoon through Tuesday.
Eight to 12-foot waves are expected for Friday with some sets up to 16 feet.
Joe Bailey, marine safety chief for the City of Seal Beach, said extra lifeguards will be on staff to watch out for surfers who might be, literally, in over their head.
“When the waves get that big down here it’s pretty much an experts only situation in the water,” Bailey said. "So we ask people to use their best judgement and stay out of the water if they can’t handle that kind of surf.”
Seal Beach has faced flooding during storms in the past. The city has several stations set up where residents can fill sandbags to protect their homes.
The city has also asked the Orange County Fire Authority to have bulldozers on standby in case there's a need to reinforce the berm the city constructs every winter along the beach south of the Seal Beach pier, according to Sgt. Michael Henderson of the Seal Beach Police Department.
Huntington Beach is also on alert for coastal flooding but Travis Hopkins, director of public works for the city, said officials weren't expecting any major problems since tides are expected to be relatively low in the coming days.
Huntington Beach also makes sand and sandbags available for city residents.
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The National Weather Service expects the waves to decrease on Sunday but increase again on Monday to 8 to 12 feet before tapering off Tuesday.
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