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IrelandSunset Beach floodwater rises through drains, closing Pacific Coast Highway
ABC7's Abigail Velez reports from flooded streets as Huntington Beach declares a local emergency after damage to more than 100 properties.
ABC7
Story of Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 893,190 views a day, 22 times a normal first day on this channel (41,076).
High tide floods roadways in Orange County, forcing closure of Pacific Coast Highway
Things we can learn from the video
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- 0:49Velez explains that water is entering through drains, gutters and edges rather than overtopping the seawall.
- 1:17Pacific Coast Highway is closed between Anderson Street and Warner Avenue as crews respond to flooding.
- 1:57Homeowner Curtis describes water surrounding his house and using pumps to manage it.
- 2:56Velez says the highway closure is scheduled to last until 2 p.m. and urges people to stay clear.
How did the water get past the seawall? In ABC7's Sunset Beach report, Abigail Velez points to a less visible route: floodwater coming through gutters and drains, leaving part of Pacific Coast Highway underwater.
Standing shin-deep in the street, Velez shows the conditions that closed the highway between Anderson Street and Warner Avenue on Wednesday. The wall was not being overtopped, she explains. Water was seeping along the edges and rising from below.
The report drew roughly 470,000 views in nine hours, an unusually fast start for ABC7's longer videos. Its separate reports from Redondo Beach and Newport Beach also drew stronger-than-usual viewing as high tides affected several coastal communities.
The consequences extend beyond a disrupted drive. In a subsequent report, ABC7 says Huntington Beach has declared a local emergency after flooding damaged more than 100 properties. Near King Harbor in Redondo Beach, residents and business owners described flooded sidewalks and effects on waterfront businesses.
Back in Sunset Beach, Velez's report brings the problem down to the scale of a single home. Homeowner Curtis describes water surrounding his residence and the effort to pump it away, while city crews continue their own pumping operations nearby.
A beachfront community in Huntington Beach, California, lying just 5.3 feet above sea level. It stretches along Pacific Coast Highway between the ocean and Huntington Harbour.
More on Wikipedia ›The name used for several sections of California State Route 1, a major highway following much of California’s Pacific coastline.
More on Wikipedia ›A coastal city in Orange County, California, about 35 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. Sunset Beach became part of the city in 2011.
More on Wikipedia ›Published on Trari
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- Channel
- ABC7
- Subscribers
- 2,980,000
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 13,829,178
- Channel views, pace per day
- 2,313,824 (on a normal day: 2,075,323)
- Video published
- October 28, 2026
- Video views so far
- 472,510 (less than a day online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 893,190
The numbers
The Sunset Beach report drew an unusually large early audience for an ABC7 longer video. The coastal flooding reports from Redondo Beach and Newport Beach also started above their usual pace.
💡 Test your knowledge
Which city includes the Sunset Beach community shown in this report?
Sunset Beach is a beachfront community within Huntington Beach.