The Wedge is famous for turning south swells into mayhem. Hurricane Rachel turned the beach into a construction zone. New footage from longtime Wedge documentarian Brent Weldon shows Newport Beach police riding ATVs across the sand and clearing people from the shoreline as city crews move in heavy equipment. A giant tractor pushes sand into berms while the ocean surges toward homes and streets behind one of Southern California’s most iconic waves. Newport Beach temporarily closed the Wedge, Newport Pier, and Balboa Pier after Rachel’s swell combined with unusually high ocean levels and powerful tides. The National Weather Service forecast 6-to-9-foot surf across Orange County, though the Wedge’s jetty can dramatically amplify south swell. See the footage below. And the defenses had already failed once. Police on ATVs could be seen clearing the sand as official loudspeakers blared: “The beach is now closed due to high tide. If you could please exit the beach.…