Before they have even recovered from the shock and destruction caused by the huge waves that hit coastal areas of California on Thursday, residents are preparing for a repeat of the extreme event over the weekend.
Eight people were injured, and infrastructure and shops were severely damaged.
The US National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a warning for high surf and flooding along the California coastline from San Diego to San Francisco Bay, with wave height predicted to reach as high as 12 meters in some areas.
The seaside town of Ventura, 105 kilometers from Los Angeles, was confronted on Thursday with huge waves reminiscent of a small tsunami that flooded homes and shops.
Video broadcast by the NBC television network showed huge waves washing over people running in panic to save themselves on a city promenade, and eight injuries were reported.
The extent of the destruction was evident on Friday at a Ventura hotel, where all the windows on the ground floor were broken and debris flooded the terraces. In the morning, employees were stacking sandbags to fortify the hotel.
While most residents are preparing for a repeat of this extreme phenomenon, some intrepid surfers are aspiring to tame the huge waves.
Kenny Powell, 64, a Ventura resident and surfing enthusiast, said although some surfers feel an overwhelming desire to tame the wild waves, Thursday’s phenomenon proved to be extremely dangerous.
“We had to pull some of them out of the sea … as Mother Nature proved to be stronger” than they expected, he recounted.
