Landslide in Pricey Los Angeles Neighborhood Prompt Power Cuts, Property Damage

© AP Photo / Noah BergerIn this aerial image taken with a drone, a truck drives along River Rd. where heavy rains have caused mudslides and flooding near Salinas in Monterey County, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021<img alt="In this aerial image taken with a drone, a truck drives along River Rd. where heavy rains have caused mudslides and flooding near Salinas in Monterey County, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021 - Sputnik International, 1920, 03.09.2024" src="https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/09/03/1119992698_0:113:3243:1937_1920x0_80_0_0_feb3397790a0e6de7277bdc87eee6efb.jpg" width="1920" height="1080">© AP Photo / Noah BergerSubscribe<img alt=" - Sputnik International" src="https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/01/0b/1092187887_0:0:2048:2049_100x100_80_0_0_0c2cc4c84f89aff034cc55bb01fb6697.jpg">Mary Manleyhttps://sputniknews.com/author_manley_mary/
 reported.The landslide has been shifting for decades - by just an inch a year - however it recently began accelerating following heavy rains in spring of 2023, quickening to a movement of four feet a month. Over the past year, the landslide zone has grown by approximately 680 acres. The rain has saturated a deep layer of clay below the ground, and that clay - known as bentonite - has become slippery enough to accelerate the movement of the landslide.

Worsening landslide forces power cut to 105 more homes in Rancho Palos Verdes https://t.co/SIOjDfWWUc

"SCE has determined there is a public safety threat," SCE stated. "Electricity service will be discontinued in these zones effective Sunday, September 1 at 12 p.m. PST. DO NOT USE WATER OR PLUMBING AFTER THE POWER IS SHUT OFF -- THIS COULD RESULT IN A SEWER SPILL."According to a separate https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/02/us/landslides-rancho-palos-verdes.html
, gas had already been shut off more than a month ago to various residents who were have since been forced to shelter in their homes with electric hot plates and propane.

The Portuguese Bend neighborhood of Rancho Palos Verdes continues to experience substantial land movement causing https://twitter.com/SCE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw



Happening now: SoCal Edison shutting off electricity to 105 residents Seaview Rancho Palos Verdes.For some, this will be temporary. For others, indefinitely. https://t.co/PmtKywjOch

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn said at a news conference on Sunday that the land movement is “so gigantic and so damaging” that “one city should not have to bear the burden alone”. The county has dedicated $5 million to respond to the disaster. Hahn also called on California Governor Gavin Newsom and hopes he will declare a state of emergency.“There’s no playbook for an emergency like this one,” said Hahn.City administrators have reached out to hotels for possible housing help, while the utility company has said it was working to figure out engineering solutions that could potentially allow for power to be restored. The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services said it is continuing to coordinate with emergency response officials in the county.

https://sputniknews.com/20240903/landslide-in-pricey-los-angeles-neighborhood-prompt-power-cuts-property-damage-1119991804.html