VIDEO: Several Hurt When Monster Waves Slam California Coast

Numerous California coastal towns were hit by massive waves Thursday, leaving people hurt
Ventura County Fire Department
Amy Furr

Numerous California coastal towns were hit by massive waves Thursday, leaving people hurt and buildings damaged as a Pacific storm leaned into the area.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued Coastal Flood Warnings and High Surf Warnings for residents from San Diego, Los Angeles, into San Francisco, Fox Weather reported Friday.

The NWS said the waves were between 28 and 33 feet high, while “Some locations were forecast to see waves as high as 40 feet,” the report noted.

There were also huge swells in the Castle Rock area, according to video footage recorded Thursday:

Video taken in Ventura shows a hotel that was damaged by a wave. Many of the building’s bottom floor entrances were boarded up, according to Fox 11 Los Angeles.

The clip also shows neighbors rescuing a lifeguard from the waves after he got caught in the tide while attempting to rescue a surfer:

“The debris from the coastal flooding deposited on streets was so heavy that road crews used plows to clear the scenic State Highway 1, south of San Francisco. Other stretches of the road were too buried to clear,” the Fox Weather report said.

Meanwhile, one of the massive waves swept into about 20 people at Pierpoint Beach in Ventura, according to the New York Post. The outlet noted that at least eight people were hospitalized because of the huge waves that hit the coastal areas.

What appears to be video footage of the incident in Ventura captured the moment the wave rushed towards onlookers, who turned to run away; it crashed into a wall.

Screams are heard as the group fled from the swift wave that spread across the streets, crashing into cars and nearby buildings:

WSJ News reported Thursday that evacuation warnings were also in place in northern California due to the waves, and “local officials warned residents to avoid beaches and piers to prevent being swept out to sea.”

The outlet’s video shows several tense moments along the coast when the waves hit:

In a social media post on Friday, the NWS Sacramento warned residents of widespread precipitation that will move through the area into Saturday. The agency also told people to watch out for slick roads and to slow down while driving:

“According to the NWS, high surf will decrease a little on Friday but will increase again on Saturday as powerful Pacific cyclones continue to send massive swells toward the West Coast, renewing coastal flooding threats,” the Fox Weather report said.

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