Rising Sea May Make Parts Of Belmont Shore Unlivable, City Warns

BELMONT SHORE, CA – Rising sea levels are going to increasingly flood parts of Long Beach, but could also leave the most vulnerable neighborhoods uninhabitable within a generation or two, the city of Long Beach told its residents at a meeting Monday night.

The city presentation drew more 300 residents concerned about the city's future and their own, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reported Wednesday.

"Residents can continue living on Naples and the Peninsula for several decades as long as you're willing to experience occasional flooding," said Jerry Schubel, a marine scientist and CEO of the Aquarium of the Pacific, according to the newspaper. But "over the next few decades, you need to think about moving. Sea-level rise is accelerating. It will continue to rise throughout this century and beyond no matter what we do. I think we need to make an orderly exit from the coast in these areas like the Peninsula and Naples."

Schubel says that while a long-term trend of sea-level rise has slowed in the last few thousand years, it is again accelerating. The Union of Concerned Scientists projects flooding at least 26 times per year by 2035, not only in Long Beach but also coastal cities like Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach and Newport Beach, among others.

California law AB 691, passed in 2013, requires coastal communities and ports to produce a sea-level rise adaptation plan for the State Lands Commission. Long Beach is also holding an open house Saturday, Jan. 26 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library to discuss its plans and answer questions.

"We want to be a leader on this work," said Alison Spindler, a Long Beach city planner who spoke Monday.

City News Service contributed to this post; Image via Shutterstock