residents braced for more potential damage wrought by Tropical Storm Rachel. The storm system churning in the Pacific was expected to make a rare West coast landfall near the California and Mexico border early Sunday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS), packing potential for strong winds and heavy rains that could cause further destruction and coastal flooding. The powerful surf exacerbated by the morning's high tide slammed into coastal communities, including Long Beach, where signficant sections of the boardwalk crumbled under the pounding waves and several homes suffered serious structural damage. Areas including Long Beach and Malibu continued to face likely damaging sea-water flooding over the weekend, the NWS warned. High tides of more than seven feet (2.1 meters) will be common each morning, said the US weather agency. Local officials earlier this week distributed sandbags to residents in vulnerable communities. Rachel had been downgraded from hurricane to tropical storm but even in a slightly weakened state threatened coastal hazards including flooding, a risk expected to peak around Sunday morning, Carol Ciliberti, a NWS meteorologist in southern California, told AFP. A tropical storm watch is in effect for all of San Diego County, which borders Mexico, marking only the second time a tropical storm watch has ever been issued in California. (Bssnews)