ReportThe Storm That Never Landed Destroyed a HomeAired September 10, 2026 at 7:28 AM UTCWritten September 10, 2026 at 7:30 AM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00A storm that never touched California's coast destroyed a beachfront home and0:03emptied a neighborhood.0:04The swell from Tropical Storm Marie, riding the highest tides of the year, drove0:0812-foot waves into the sea walls and stripped the beaches from Dana Point to Malibu.0:13Tonight, the question is exactly how many homes are now too dangerous to enter.0:17That's the scene in Long Beach, where the waves smashed through the seawall and0:21turned the street into a lake within minutes.0:23Marie formed as a hurricane southwest of Baja, peaking with sustained winds near 800:28knots.0:29It weakened to a tropical storm, stayed hundreds of miles offshore, and was finally0:33declared post-tropical on September 8th.0:35It never made landfall, and no watch or warning was ever issued for California.0:40The damage stretched across two counties and more than 50 miles of coastline.0:45In Dana Point's Capistrano Beach, flooding devastated the homes along Beach Road.0:51At least one home was nearly destroyed, and several others were severely damaged.0:55The city declared a local emergency and has been placing hundreds of boulders along0:59the shore to protect what's left.1:00In Dana Point, Seven homes were red-tagged, but later tallies put the figure at1:05nine, with seven yellow-tagged 14 beachfront homes were damaged across Orange1:09County, about a dozen uninhabitable.1:11In Malibu, the red-tag list grew from five to thirty-one after the private access1:15road was blocked.1:16In Long Beach, the evacuation was the largest.1:19Officials pulled about 20 homes off the peninsula after 12-foot waves compromised1:23the seawall and shredded the boardwalk.1:25The water rose so fast that cars were destroyed and the boardwalk was left in1:29pieces.1:31In Malibu, the ground itself gave way.1:34A driveway collapsed into a sinkhole up to 30 feet deep, with waves visible through1:38the hole beneath the house.1:39The storm stripped about 10 feet of sand, exposing a dozen pilings under the house.1:43A broken drainage pipe drifted offshore before lifeguards removed it, and a1:47lifeguard tower was moved a quarter mile inland.1:50A gas main ruptured, and utilities were shut off.1:52The city declared a local emergency, and the repair is expected to take about five1:56weeks.1:56The surface subsiding, but hazards remain.1:59Rip currents and lingering swell are under a beach hazards statement.2:03and a coastal flood advisory covers orange and san diego beaches.2:06Small craft advisories are up on some waters.2:09And the next threat isn't surf at all.2:11It's extreme heat.2:12So how many homes are too dangerous to enter?2:14The honest answer is that officials can't agree.2:17In Dana Point, counts range from 7 to 9 red tagged.2:20In Malibu, the number grew from 5 to 31, but many were evacuated simply because the2:25only access road was blocked.2:26The repair bill isn't priced yet and the boardwalk is still closed.2:30And with El Niño developing, more distant storm swells like this one are expected in2:34the months ahead.Explore with HeyDexFollow via RSSThe shortThe short ↗