A landslide currently affecting residents of a small community in Southern California is threatening to swallow more homes – after already destroying 12 over the weekend.
Local journalists and residents alike reported hearing sounds of cracks and movement underneath their feet on the scene in Rolling Hills Estate Tuesday morning – fueling fears that further evacuation may soon be necessary.
Several in the LA county suburb have already been left homeless – with a total of 16 people evacuated. The ground beneath them shifted Saturday, leaving their homes partially collapsed, and the ground along usually placid Peartree Lane cracked.
The city, set a stone’s throw from Long Beach, has since announced that it’s also working with the LA County Fire Department (LACFD) and the LA County Sheriff’s Office to monitor the situation, its continued affects, and its potential cause.
In the meantime, the street where the crisis is unfolding remains closed to the public as of Tuesday – available only to residents, city officials and public safety staff, the city has said, as it warns it cannot promise the worst has already passed.
As for the cause of the natural disaster – apart from the Golden State’s tenuous setting on a major tectonic plate boundary – officials remain at a loss.
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A landslide currently affecting residents of a small community in Southern California is threatening to swallow more homes – after already destroying 12 over the weekend.
Days after the initial event on Saturday, several who live in the affected area – a street set on the top of a canyon that hangs over the Pacific – confirmed that several of the homes already savaged by the disaster had moved multiple feet down the hillside seen here
On the scene in Rolling Hills Estate Tuesday morning, several reported sounds of cracks and movement under their feet – fueling fears that further evacuation may soon be in the cards
That said, also on the scene Tuesday was ABC News’ Matt Gutman, who corroborated Los Angeles affiliate KABC’s earlier claims that residents of the affluent neighborhood had been hearing cracks under their homes as far back as Thursday.
‘Pretty much every minute you’re out here, you hear creaking and cracking of buildings, the shattering of glass,’ Gutman said on the scene before sunrise in a filmed segment.
The journalist would then reveal: ‘Just since we were here last night, houses behind us have dropped several feet.’
As he spoke, Gutman motioned to some of the sunken, decrepit homes behind him, many of which appeared to have sunkseveral more inches below the earth’s surface since Saturday.
LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn concurred with Gutman’s assessment Monday – repeating residents’ claims that the ‘ground had been moving’ overnight.
Hours later, on Tuesday, several who live in the immediate area – a street set on the top of a canyon that hangs over the Pacific – would confirm that multiple of the homes already savaged by the disaster had moved several feet down the hillside.
The LA Times reported that by 8am local time, several dipped below what remained of their driveways, to the point where they could not even be seen from the road.
Speaking to the paper, residents reported how they were left stunned at the sight of their homes slowly continuing to move after the initial landslide, which officials believe may have been caused by water evaporating underground.
‘Just shock,’ resident Katie Schwartz, 57, told the paper Monday, still in disbelief over the worsening damage. ‘It just changes your whole life.’
On the scene in Rolling Hills Estate Tuesday morning, several reported sounds of cracks and movement under their feet – fueling fears that further evacuation may soon be in the cards
Many have already been left homeless – and 16 people evacuated – after the natural didsaster Saturday afternoon, which left a dozen homes in the upscale suburb partially collapsed, and the ground along a usually placid, treelined street cracked
The city, set a stone’s throw from Long Beach, has since said it’s also working with the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACFD) and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s to monitor the situation, its continued affects, and potential cause
Officials on Monday had warned of the fate of the already savaged homes: ‘The force of gravity is taking them… These homeowners have lost their homes and, really, the land that the home sits on is also gone’
Also on the scene Tuesday was ABC News’ Matt Gutman, who corroborated Los Angeles affiliate KABC’s earlier claims that residents of the affluent neighborhood had been hearing cracks under their homes in the days since – and before – the disaster
A concerned Hahn further forecast Monday of the fate of the already destroyed homes: ‘The force of gravity is taking them… These homeowners have lost their homes and, really, the land that the home sits on is also gone.’
Speaking at a press conference as officials weigh how to handle the situation – which is still developing – Hahn revealed that several of the homes garages and back decks were ‘gone’ and had fallen into the ravine.
Hahn, at the time, remarked: ‘I’ve never seen anything like it.’
Officials, meanwhile, are waiting for the homes to inevitably fall into the ravine below before investigating the ground where the event took place, before gleaning a cause.
SoCal Edison has elected to continue to shut off power in the area, while workers with Southern California Gas Company are currently working to make sure no gas lines had ruptured.
For now, the 12 affected homes remain ‘completely uninhabitable,’ Hahn said.
Residents in the area first reported they started hearing cracking and popping noises as early as Thursday. The neighborhood was first built in 1978 and had been solid until this weekend.
‘We thought something was amidst because all through the day and night we heard cracks in the house,’ said one evacuated, Weber Yen. ‘And then, you know, the frequency became more and more frequent.’
By Sunday afternoon, LA County Supervisor Hahn said the homes on Peartree Lane were ‘completely destroyed’ – after the ground beneath them shifted, putting them at risk of a colliding into another nearby canyon
‘This is just devastating for these residents,’ Han said Sunday in the wake of the initial disaster.
residents were seen here lounging outside their savaged homes Monday, after hearing cracks under their foundation as far back as Thursday. The landslide occurred Saturday afternoon
Officials on Tuesday corroborated earlier claims that residents of the LA suburb had been hearing cracks under their homes as far back as Thursday
‘Pretty much every minute you’re out here, you hear creaking and cracking of buildings, the shattering of glass,’ an ABC News reporters said on the scene Tuesday, as homes remain on tenuous footing
SoCal Edison has elected to continue to shut off power in the area, while workers with Southern California Gas Company – seen here Monday – are working to make sure no gas lines had ruptured
The ordeal began when cracks were discovered in one of the homes, which then saw crews investigating other nearby structures
For now, the 12 affected homes remain ‘completely uninhabitable,’ local officials said Monday
A news photographer stops to take a photo of a damaged house in Rolling Hills Estates
Officials, meanwhile, are waiting for the homes to inevitably fall into the ravine below before investigating the ground where the event took place, before gleaning a cause
Speaking at a press conference as officials weigh how to handle the situation – which is still developing – LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn (pictured on the scene with officials Monday) revealed several of the homes garages and back decks were ‘gone’ were falling into the ravine
The ordeal began when cracks were discovered in one of the homes, which then saw crews investigating other nearby structures.
Unfortunately, the damage appeared to spread from one home to the next leading all 12 to be evacuated.
‘They discovered cracks along the structure of one building, and upon further investigation they realized that there were some cracks running through one home specifically, and it was progressing to the next home,’ LA fire Captain Chiyoshi Hasegawa told KTLA.
‘We got additional specialists to assess the situation, and after assessing the situation we realized there were 12 homes that had received damage either inside of their home or outside of the structure.’
A dozen homes in the Los Angeles suburb of Rolling Hills were evacuated as they appeared to be on the verge of collapsing into a nearby canyon
Police, fire and utility company officials were on scene Sunday morning to assist with the evacuation of 16 residents who had 20 minutes to grab their possessions and leave
Residents in the area say they noticed cracking and popping sounds starting Thursday
Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Hahn puts her hand to her mouth in shock as she surveys the damage on Sunday
A concerned Hahn further forecast Monday of the fate of the already destroyed homes: ‘The force of gravity is taking them… These homeowners have lost their homes and, really, the land that the home sits on is also gone’
Hahn was one of several on-site late Saturday night when news of the unstable homes came to light
Hahn, left, is seen speaking with residents who were evacuated from their homes
By Sunday night the homes were essentially destroyed
A tape reads ‘Danger Hazardous Material Do Not Enter’ in front of a collapsed house in Rolling Hills Estates in Los Angeles, California
A collapsed house in Rolling Hills Estates in Los Angeles, California
A large landslide in Rolling Hills Estates this weekend forced the evacuation of 12 houses next to a canyon
Neighbors and firefighters look on at a collapsed house in Rolling Hills Estates in Los Angeles
Homeowners were left homeless after they were forced to evacuate shortly after a water leak was reported at around4pm on Saturday
Neighbors were left standing in shock after the collapse of 12 homes in the area
Other residents in the area are now concerned more evacuations may be enforced in days
Geologists are now conducting an investigation into what caused the landslide and subsequent collapse
‘I was up actually, most of the night, worrying about what’s going to happen,’ said Mimi Borg to ABC 7. ‘They told us that they would knock on our door if we had to be evacuated.’
One woman who lives on the street but whose home was not affected because it sits on the side opposite the canyon explained how she was woken up by the commotion.
‘I was sleeping…[I woke up to] a lot of noises and fire trucks, I was very concerned,’ she said. ‘Then I was up most of the night worrying about what’s going to happen.
‘My home is fine; we are on the ocean side…it’s the canyon side that’s having the problems. They told us they were not going to [evacuate us] if they didn’t need to,’ she added.
The area experiences different types of landslides, including rapid debris flows caused by heavy rainfall, USGS said in its report.
As in likelihood of another evacuation increases, officials have theorized the landslide could be attributed to heavy rainfall, leading to underground water to cause a fissure, resulting in the landslide.
