Despite high-surf warnings along California’s coastline, eight people in Ventura were injured Thursday when they were struck by a massive rogue wave that swept over a sea wall and flooded area streets.
At least a dozen people were watching swells from the sea wall near South Seward Avenue about 10:50 a.m. when a large wave crashed over them, a video posted online by the Ventura County Fire Department shows. When the spectators saw the wave coming, they began running, while the drivers of two trucks also tried to flee, but the water swept up several people and one of the vehicles.
Eight people sustained moderate injuries and were taken to the hospital, said Brian McGrath, Ventura County Fire Department captain.
As of Friday morning, McGrath said he didn’t have an update on the eight injured but the city and county along with the fire department were working to clean up streets and getting them ready to reopen.
Ventura and Santa Cruz counties experienced the brunt of Thursday’s extreme high surf that resulted in rescues, flooding, road closures and injuries.
Ventura public works crews were working Friday to build berms to “soften the blow from any large waves that may come in,” McGrath said.
Ventura County posted a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, Friday morning from Pierpont Beach, west of the Ventura Harbor and South Seward area, of two bulldozers building a berm to protect homes.
The National Weather Service repeatedly urged people to stay out of the water and away from the ocean Thursday as large waves battered the coast.
The conditions were dangerous and deadly, said Alexis Clouser, meteorologist for the National Weather Service Monterey office.
Ventura County officials are still imploring that people avoid the coastline. Several beaches, piers, state parks and campgrounds in the county are closed because of a continued high surf advisory.
