El Niño Has Buildings Teetering on Brink of Bluff in Pacifica

Big swells from El Niño storms have eaten away parts of the Pacifica coastline, leaving several vacant structures at risk of collapse into the sea. A local state of emergency was declared Friday.

Pacifica Pier, the Milagra Watershed Outfall and the seawall along Beach Boulevard have seen significant damage during storms over the past month. Several building owners were told their properties are not safe to inhabit.

“El Niño is hitting the city’s coastline very hard and creating almost daily reports of impacts to both public and private property,” City Manager Lorie Tinfow said in a press release.

Drone video shared by Duncan Sinfield on Saturday shows the bluff crumbling beneath apartment buildings on Esplanade Ave.

The apartment buildings at 330 and 320 Esplanade Ave. were previously deemed uninhabitable, but had not been demolished. The apartment building at 310 Esplanade Ave., visible to the left in the video, is still inhabited and is being closely monitored for structural integrity, officials say.

"Locals pretty much know the impact of the ocean and even we are astounded when we see the power of the ocean and what it can do," says Pacifica Mayor Sue Digre.

The city is asking for state and federal assistance in responding to what officials say is a growing list of failing infrastructure. The cost of the damage has not yet been determined.