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Huntington Beach hit by tsunami waves? Truth behind viral video as Newport Beach sees flooding
A video allegedly showing large waves in Huntington Beach has gone viral on social media, with some users claiming the waves were caused by a tsunami.
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A powerful earthquake struck Panama on Friday morning, prompting tsunami warnings for coastal areas of Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Guatemala. Alerts were also issued for El Salvador and Easter Island, Chile.
Were tsunami waves spotted in Huntington Beach?
A video allegedly showing large waves in Huntington Beach has gone viral on social media, with some users claiming the waves were caused by a tsunami.
However, the claim is false. No tsunami warning was issued for California or other US states following the Panama earthquake.
Deep Dive
The footage shows real waves, but they were linked to high tides and ocean swells associated with Tropical Storm Rachel, not a tsunami. Nearby Newport Beach also experienced coastal flooding amid the rough surf and rising tides.
Also Read: Tropical Storm Rachel tracker: Latest path, California landfall forecast and cities at risk
About Tropical Storm Rachel
Powerful waves battered Southern California's coast on Friday, damaging homes and flooding streets as residents braced for further destruction from Tropical Storm Rachel.
The storm, moving across the Pacific, was expected to make a rare landfall near the California-Mexico border early Sunday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). It could bring strong winds, heavy rain and coastal flooding.
High tides and powerful waves hit several coastal communities, including Long Beach, where large sections of the boardwalk collapsed. Several homes also suffered serious structural damage.
The NWS warned that Long Beach, Malibu and other coastal areas could face damaging seawater flooding over the weekend. Morning high tides were expected to exceed seven feet (2.1 meters).
Earlier this week, local officials distributed sandbags to residents in areas vulnerable to flooding.
Although Rachel had weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm, it continued to pose a threat to coastal communities. The risk of flooding was expected to peak around Sunday morning, Carol Ciliberti, an NWS meteorologist in Southern California, told AFP.
A tropical storm watch was in effect for all of San Diego County, which borders Mexico. According to the report, this marked only the second time a tropical storm watch had been issued for California.
(With inputs from AFP)
