King tides pushed seawater into about 114 homes and other structures in Huntington Beach during the last week of October, according to a City of Huntington Beach update posted October 29. Now a Halloween weekend storm is moving into Southern California, and coastal Orange County homeowners who are still drying out face another round of water.
The city reports that six homes were yellow-tagged, which restricts access for safety reasons, and that one structure caught fire after saltwater reached a lithium-ion battery. Most of the damage was in Sunset Beach and Huntington Harbour. Patch reported on October 30 that Pacific Coast Highway and nearby residential streets turned into waterways during the week.
What happened, and what is coming next
The flooding came from a run of extreme high tides that peaked during the week of October 26. NOAA’s National Ocean Service describes a king tide as a non-scientific term for exceptionally high tides. When those tides line up with surf and low-lying streets, water comes over seawalls and up through storm drains.
The water has gone down, but the city says it is not done. In its October 29 update, the City of Huntington Beach warned that “tides in late November could be even higher than this week’s.” Patch, citing the Los Angeles Times, reported that the next major concern is king tides around Thanksgiving, with more high-tide events expected around Christmas and Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The nearer worry is rain. National Weather Service forecasters expect showers to build on Saturday, October 31, with the heaviest rain Saturday night into Sunday, November 1. Forecasts reported by Patch and the California Post put totals around half an inch to an inch and a half across much of the Los Angeles area, with more in the foothills. NWS Los Angeles forecasters told Patch, “There is very high confidence that it will rain during the weekend, but low confidence on onset timing and peak timing.”
What saltwater does to a house
Salt flooding is harder on a home than a clean pipe leak. Seawater carries sand, debris and whatever it picked up from streets and storm drains, so it should be treated as contaminated. Salt left behind in drywall, insulation and wood keeps pulling moisture from the air, which means a wall can feel dry and still test wet a week later.
Electrical risk is the other big one. The city’s update tells residents not to charge or operate equipment that may have been damaged by flooding, which covers e-bikes, scooters, power tools and battery backups. The structure fire in Huntington Beach started exactly this way.
If rain arrives on top of damp framing, mold is the next problem. Our guide to mold after water damage walks through why wet materials need to be dried or removed quickly.
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After coastal flooding: what to do first
- 1Stay out of the waterFloodwater can be contaminated and electrically charged.
- 2Leave wet batteries aloneDon’t charge or run e-bikes, scooters or tools that sat in saltwater.
- 3Photograph everythingWaterlines, floors, contents and the outside of the house, before cleanup.
- 4Protect before the rainSandbag low doorways and clear drains near the house.
What homeowners should do now
Start with safety. Ready.gov advises staying out of floodwater, not touching electrical equipment if it is wet or you are standing in water, and wearing gloves, boots and a mask during cleanup. People with asthma or weakened immune systems should not go into buildings with visible or smelly mold.
The city is asking residents in Sunset Beach, Huntington Harbour and other low spots to assess their property, get sandbags, protect vulnerable areas and review family emergency plans before the next tides.
GPR’s team, led by Efraim Haim, CEO of Green Planet Restoration, recommends pulling wet carpet pad and cutting out soaked drywall above the waterline instead of waiting for it to dry in place, since salt residue keeps those materials damp. If a room took on water, a moisture reading is the only reliable way to know when it is actually dry. Our guide to storm and flood water damage covers the drying process step by step.
Insurance and documentation
Check your policy before you assume anything. FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program notes on FloodSmart that most homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage. Ready.gov adds that a new flood policy typically takes up to 30 days to go into effect, so buying one now will not cover this weekend.
Document the loss before anything is thrown away. Efraim Haim’s crews log moisture readings and photos room by room so adjusters can see where water reached. Our insurance billing team can work with your carrier directly, and our pack-out and storage service moves belongings out of wet rooms so they can be cleaned and inventoried.
Flood cleanup for coastal Orange County homes
Our Irvine branch covers the whole coast, from Seal Beach and Huntington Beach down through Newport Beach and Laguna Beach. Beach cottages in Sunset Beach and homes along the Huntington Harbour channels sit close to the waterline, and seawater finds its way under baseboards and into crawl spaces fast. Garages and ground-floor rooms usually flood first. If water reached your home during the king tides, or this weekend’s rain finds a new way in, our crew for water damage restoration in Orange County can extract standing water, test the framing and set up drying. Call the Irvine branch at (949) 482-3566, 24/7.
For bigger losses, see our flood damage restoration and storm damage restoration services.
References
- Andrews, E. (2026, October 30). SoCal Halloween forecast: Cities could see first wet Oct. 31 in decades. California Post. https://nypost.com/2026/10/30/us-news/socal-halloween-forecast-wet-windy-conditions-expected-for-weekend/
- Ceja, M. (2026, October 30). 100+ buildings damaged by flooding in Orange County as tides recede. Patch. https://patch.com/california/orange-county/100-buildings-damaged-flooding-orange-county-tides-recede
- City of Huntington Beach. (2026, October 29). Coastal flooding response update: Thank you, Huntington Beach. https://www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/news_detail_T4_R687.php
- Federal Emergency Management Agency. (n.d.). FloodSmart: The National Flood Insurance Program. https://www.floodsmart.gov/
- Houck, K. (2026, October 27). Powerful storm haunts SoCal Halloween weekend: See rain forecast and timing. Patch. https://patch.com/california/san-diego/powerful-storm-haunts-socal-halloween-weekend-see-rain-forecast-timing
- National Ocean Service. (2026, September 23). What is a king tide? National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/kingtide.html
- Ready.gov. (2024, October 17). Floods. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. https://www.ready.gov/floods
Featured image: Green Planet Restoration photo.
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