HERMOSA BEACH, Calif. – As a Hermosa Beach native, Scott Manly spends many of his mornings looking out on the water.

"I was born and raised here, so that's what I've been used to, that's my life," Manly said.

He knows the Strand better than most people, but on Wednesday, he got the chance to view it in a way he has never seen before. Thanks to the Look Ahead Hermosa Beach initiative, the city of Hermosa Beach allowed residents to look at what the future of the strand and pier might look like through virtual reality technology.

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“Climate change is one of those issues that is kind of hard to wrap your head around," said Hermosa Beach Mayor Mary Campbell. "You hear a lot about it in the news, but you don’t really personalize it. This makes it real and it’s really striking.”

The visualizations allowed Manly and many others to be transported 30 years down the line, viewing how sea-level rise could affect the location and what potential solutions were available to help address the risks.

“Hopefully people are going to understand the fact that this is a special place and things can be done to help keep it as it is," Manly said.

While the VR technology was only available for one day, visitors to the strand can check out two decals, located on the pier and in the plaza, to check out the visualizations for themselves.