Officials in Rolling Hills Estates announced a state of emergency on Tuesday while they continue to look into what caused a slow-moving landslide that has made a dozen homes unsafe to live in.
Officials said that ten of the red-tagged homes on Peartree Lane were moving and slowly falling into the creek below. The land started moving in a noticeable way on Saturday, forcing people to leave quickly. There were no reports of accidents.
As of Tuesday afternoon, city officials said, “movement had slowed.” But because of a broken sewer main, five more housing units have been told to leave, making the total number of units that need to leave 17.
“This sewer line break happened because the land moved, not because the recently evacuated homes moved,” said a statement from the government.
Lina Grasinger, who used to live in the neighborhood, said, “It’s scary because we know people who lived in those homes, and it’s sad to see where other people live that their homes are now in danger of going down the hill.” “I hope they are safe and that they were able to get some valuables out of the house and save some important things.”
After shutting off the gas service in the neighborhood as a safety measure, SoCalGas crews were trying to get service back on for homes that had not been red-tagged.
Still, people were trying to figure out how much the terrible damage would cost.
Janice Hahn, who is in charge of the area where the fall happened because it is in her district, said that the wet winter may be to blame. Hahn also said that when the houses stop moving, the local homeowners association can call in a scientist to figure out what’s going on.
The tweet below verifies the news:
Rolling Hills Estates declares state of emergency amid investigation into landslide’s cause https://t.co/5V8T5ZcrIw
— CaliforniaDisasters (@CalDisasters) July 12, 2023
Monday afternoon, people from the city and county, like the L.A. County auditor and the mayor of Rolling Hills Estates, walked around the area.
She said, “We think that after everything has settled down, a good geologist and soil expert might be able to tell us how this happened and if there’s any way to stop it from happening on another hillside.”
Hahn said that there is nothing that can be done about the homes that keep falling down. The owners of the homes with red tags will either not have to pay property taxes or will pay less.
Some neighbors think that the landslide might have been caused by a big water leak. They say that one homeowner just got a water bill for about $1,000.
People who lost their homes because of the accident are worried about whether or not their insurance will pay for the losses.
Weber Yen, whose house was damaged, said, “We live in a pretty wealthy area.” “Most of us are Asian or old, so we don’t talk too loudly. I wish that these people in charge—county officials and state officials—would see that this is a big loss.”
At a news appearance on Monday, County Assessor Jeff Prang pointed to the house behind him and said that it had been ruled a total loss.
“The land that used to be under them will become a hillside,” Prang said. “So, when we’re done figuring out how much this land is worth, they won’t be worth much. So, the property owners should get a break on their property taxes.”
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