Breakwater must be repaired quickly to safeguard ports: Janice Hahn and Alan Lowenthal

Since it was built in the 1940s, the three-section federal breakwater stretching from San Pedro to Long Beach Harbor has protected the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, as well as the Long Beach coastline, from storms and the destructive waves they can generate.

Several weeks ago, a storm surge caused by Hurricane Marie inflicted a great deal of damage along the Southern California coast. The middle section of the breakwater, which sits directly in front of the Port of Long Beach, was hit especially hard. The powerful waves caused damage to numerous locations along the middle breakwater, including punching at least three large holes completely through. The holes led to further damage within the port from wave action and forced the closure of several cargo terminals during the storm surge.

The Army Corps of Engineers, who have responsibility over the breakwater, have been very proactive in assessing, categorizing and prioritizing the damaged areas.

The next step is repairing the damage.

While the holes in the breakwater remain unrepaired, further storm surges could cause not only further damage to the breakwater, but significant property damage to the port and economic damage to the region and nation by halting or slowing cargo operations.

The two ports combined make up the busiest container port complex in the Western Hemisphere, moving roughly $850 million worth of trade across their piers and wharves every day. Over 40 percent of the nation's total import traffic and 27 percent of its total exports come through the San Pedro Bay ports.

Each day that the ports are closed, even partially, puts tremendous economic strain on thousands of Southern Californians, and hundreds of thousands of Americans across the nation, who depend directly on the ports for their livelihood.

This is why we sent a letter to Army Corps leadership on Sept. 10 that praised the Corps' quick action in assessing the damage and emphasized the need for repairs to be made as quickly as possible. We will soon be meeting with Army Corps leadership to ensure there is a continued focus on this critical need.

Based on the aggressive approach the Army Corps has taken in assessing the damage, we both have every confidence this will be reflected in the Army Corps' speed of repairs.

The middle portion of the breakwater is the first line of defense for the ports and must be repaired. We are both committed to continue to work closely with the Army Corps leadership as the assessment phase shifts to the repair phase. We want to assure the public and the business community that we are both determined to do everything we can to see that repairs to the breakwater are made as quickly as possible.

Rep. Janice Hahn, D-Los Angeles, represents California's 44th Congressional district, which includes the Port of Los Angeles. Rep. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, represents California's 47th Congressional district, which includes the Port of Long Beach.