Landslide Devours Hilltop Homes in Affluent Los Angeles Neighborhood

Multiple homes in a wealthy neighborhood on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in coastal Los Angeles County are being swallowed by a canyon following a landslide over the weekend. The incident prompted the evacuation of residents from the Rolling Hills Estates community. Local authorities reported that around 16 people were forced to leave their homes after firefighters, responding to a pipe leak, discovered significant land movement on Peartree Lane. The exceptionally wet winter in California is believed to have saturated the underlying soil, contributing to the hazard. This phenomenon has been a threat to other scenic locations across the state in recent months.

Upon inspection, cracks and structural damage were found in the affected homes, prompting authorities to give residents just 20 minutes to gather their belongings and evacuate. Over time, and more rapidly thereafter, the properties began to crumble. By Monday ( 10 July 2023) afternoon, a row of townhouses worth over a million dollars, once perched high on a cliff, had slipped almost to street level. The beige stucco walls now slant and break, while the living areas have been reduced to empty cavities framed by wooden beams.