Video taking off 15x its usual first day

Newport Beach shops bail out with buckets as tides flood streets

KTLA 5's ground and helicopter reports show water entering Balboa Peninsula businesses, with more high-tide flooding expected through Thursday.

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KTLA 5 Story of October 27, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 472,742 views a day, 15 times a normal first day on this channel (30,805).

Unusually high tides threaten Southern California coastal communities

Things we can learn from the video

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0:17Aerial footage shows flooded harbor-side streets and businesses as crews deploy pumps and sandbags.
1:32Spillman reports from flooded streets near Newport Island and warns of repeated high-tide flooding through Thursday.
2:44Resident Bill Sharp describes a local tidal gauge reading as a record for the area.
5:08Business owners use dustpans and buckets to bail water out of shops.
6:21Sharp explains that storm drains must close during high tides to prevent bay water flowing back into streets.

KTLA 5 reporter Eric Spillman stands in ankle-deep water near Newport Island while, elsewhere on the Balboa Peninsula, business owners use dustpans and buckets to empty their shops. The coastal flooding residents had been preparing for has arrived.

Helicopter footage shows water spreading through harbor-side streets as crews deploy pumps and sandbags. On the ground, homeowners have barriers and pumps working to keep it outside. Newport Beach resident Bill Sharp tells Spillman he has never seen the tide this high, describing a local gauge reading as a record for the area.

Sharp also explains why the storm drains cannot simply carry the water away: the city's drains must be closed during exceptionally high tides to stop bay water flowing back through them. In low-lying areas, he says, a single leak can let water in.

The report drew more than 300,000 views in its first 11 hours, already far beyond the usual full-day audience for a KTLA regular video. Another report, "SoCal braces for more destructive high tides," also attracted an unusually large audience, extending the attention beyond this live broadcast.

The immediate concern is repeated flooding, not just the water already on the streets. Spillman tells viewers that coastal flood alerts are in effect and that similar conditions are expected at high tide each day through Thursday.

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