'No longer safe': Gas cut to 35 homes in Rolling Hills amid landslide fears

Gas will be turned off for 35 homes in the city of Rolling Hills starting Monday, because it is "no longer safe to continue natural gas service," SoCal Gas announced on Thursday. The shut off will be indefinite.

The shutoff extends the range where fears of unprecedent land movement are mounting: In Rancho Palos Verdes, over 150 homes are without power and gas and an evacuation warning has been issued for some, warning those living in the affected zones to be prepared to leave and seek alternative shelter.

Why now

The current land slippage in Portuguese Bend has been ongoing since 1956, but has worsened in recent years after two winters' worth of heavy rain accelerated land movement in the area. The land is currently moving at a rate of about 1 foot per week.

SoCal Gas said in its statement that the rapidly accelerating land movement in the Portuguese Bend area — around 4.5 feet a month — in Rancho Palos Verdes has made it “unsafe to provide natural gas service.” That, along with a recent water line break, led to the shutoffs.

"The movement has significantly compromised the safe operation of the natural gas pipelines serving certain areas in the Palos Verdes Peninsula," according to the statement. "Observations and assessments made by our personnel require that we discontinue service to these areas to promote the safety of the community."  

The utility is not providing payment assistance to affected customers but they will not receive a gas bill for the duration of the shut off.

LAist has reached out to the city of Rolling Hills for comment.

How we got here

Historic rainfall in Southern California accelerated the land movement with city staff saying the current rate of movement is “about 88 times faster than it was in October 2022.”

Because of the land movement, the iconic Wayfarers Chapel was disassembled after its grounds sustained significant damage. Dozens of homes have also been damaged and earlier this month Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for the city of Rancho Palos Verdes "to protect public safety amid ongoing land movement that has resulted in disrupted utility services and evacuation warnings for impacted residents."

What residents should do next:

According to SoCal Gas: "If your natural gas service is turned off, please do not attempt to restore service yourself, or to connect alternative fuels like propane to your natural gas meter. Doing so is unsafe. Before connecting alternative fuels like propane to your home’s natural gas plumbing, please consult a licensed professional." 

Will service be restored?

"Unfortunately, we do not know when it will be safe to restore service in these areas, but will continue to evaluate our ability to serve impacted homes," SoCal Gas said in its statement, and added: "We understand this remains a difficult situation for the community."

Go deeper on the issue

Shock in Rancho Palos Verdes as power is shut off and evacuation warnings issued

SCE to turn off power to 140 homes in Rancho Palos Verdes, triggering evacuation warning

What's behind (or underneath) the landslides in Rancho Palos Verdes? We asked a geologist

Rancho Palos Verdes says it's dealing with a much larger and faster moving landslide