Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday 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." The declaration came after power was shut off for around 250 homes to avoid potential fires and other risks due to the ongoing landslide there.
The emergency declaration will allow state agencies to deploy resources and equipment to assist city and county crews with their repair work and efforts to slow the land movement.
In February, Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor John Cruikshank said a state of emergency declaration from the governor would allow them to bypass state permit requirements for repair efforts.
A spokesperson for Southern California Edison on Monday said the power outages will impact some homes longer than others: They say 20 will be without power indefinitely and 38 will be without power for one to three weeks. The rest were slated to be without power for 24 hours.
On Thursday, SoCalGas announced that it was shutting off gas service to additional 29 homes in the western Seaview area and another 25 homes in the Portuguese Bend Beach Club starting at 3 p.m. Friday. The shut-offs are expected to last indefinitely, the utility added.
The moves come as officials raised safety concerns about downed power lines, and equipment damaged by the landslide, which they said could cause fires. Just last week a small fire and sewage spill from the movement further damaged electrical equipment.
-
Advice from Southern California Edison
-
- Never touch a fallen power line. Call the power company to report fallen power lines.
- Do not drive through standing water if downed powerlines are in the water.
- If you’re in a vehicle with a fallen power line on it, stay in the vehicle and remain calm until help arrives. It is OK to use your cellphone to call 911. If you must leave the vehicle, remember to exit away from downed power lines and exit by jumping from the vehicle and landing with both feet together. You must not touch the vehicle and the ground at the same time. Then proceed away from the vehicle by shuffling and not picking up your feet until you are several yards away.
- Water and electricity don’t mix. Water is an excellent conductor of electricity. Do not step in or enter any water that a downed power line may be touching.
-
Advice from the CDC if you believe someone has been electrocuted
-
- Look first. Don't touch. The person may still be in contact with the electrical source. Touching the person may pass the current through you.
- Call or have someone else call 911 or emergency medical help.
- Turn off the source of electricity if possible. If not, move the source away from you and the affected person using a nonconducting object made of cardboard, plastic or wood.
- Once the person is free of the source of electricity, check the person's breathing and pulse. If either has stopped or seems dangerously slow or shallow, begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) immediately.
- If the person is faint or pale or shows other signs of shock, lay him or her down with the head slightly lower than the trunk of the body and the legs elevated.
- Don't touch burns, break blisters, or remove burned clothing. Electrical shock may cause burns inside the body, so be sure the person is taken to a doctor.
“The land movement has created a dangerous situation, and Edison is deciding to disconnect to keep that community safe,” said Jim Hanggi, a spokesperson for the utility. “It is a fluid situation and we’re working on solutions to keep the power flowing but as conditions change we’ll need to adjust to keep the community safe.”
The background
On Sunday, Southern California Edison indefinitely cut off electricity to about 140 homes in the Portuguese Bend area of Rancho Palos Verdes. The city also issued an evacuation warning for residents living there.
The additional 105 homes facing shut-offs are in the neighboring Seaview area, though there is currently no evacuation order or warning.
The land movement under the peninsula has been occurring for millennia at a slow pace, but was reactivated and accelerated in 1956, when L.A. County excavated to build an extension of Crenshaw Boulevard and dumped tons of dirt there, before Rancho Palos Verdes incorporated into its own city.
The last two winters of heavy rain have further accelerated the ongoing landslide. Now, hundreds of families face losing their homes.
What residents say
Impacted residents, many of whom are older, have disabilities and bought their homes decades ago, have experienced a range of difficult emotions as they’ve been displaced in recent months and watched their community dramatically change due to the land movement. Some say they weren’t given sufficient warning about the power shutoffs and aren’t sure where to go.
Others plan to stay. Gordon Leon told LAist he plans to move into a tiny home on his property and bought four generators to power it. He said he’s had no gas for weeks now, but water is still running. The power in his house has been shut off indefinitely, so his plan is to move off the grid.
Leon said he and his neighbors are just trying to "figure out how to survive.” Some, he said, are getting ready to leave permanently.
Leon doesn't want to leave his neighborhood because he loves its beauty and that he gets to look at the ocean every day, he said.
What’s the real solution?
Many impacted residents have purchased generators so they can stay on their properties despite power outages. A spokesperson for Southern California Edison told LAist that the utility is not providing generators because they feel the ground is too unstable for that to be a long-term solution.
The city’s mayor, John Cruikshank, told LAist on Monday that Southern California Edison should have done more earlier to transition residents off grid and prevent additional outages. Cruikshank said he’s working with private energy companies — and that he has even reached out to Elon Musk — to figure out how to shift those residents off the grid longer-term.
“We’re hearing that our residents want to stay in their homes, and we're doing everything we can to keep them in their homes,” Cruikshank said. “We're going to do everything we can to push the governor and the federal government to provide them funds.”
Cruikshank has called on state and federal officials to declare a state of emergency — so far, that step has not been taken. LAist reached out to the governor's office for comment on Monday but did not immediately hear back.
Homeowners insurance typically does not cover damage from landslides, nor do federal disaster assistance programs.
There are questions as to how realistic off-grid living is in the area, especially long-term, and how much public funding should go to that and other efforts to keep the area habitable.
A team of geologists is working with the city to figure out how to slow the land movement, with some engineering efforts being implemented to varying degrees of success.
Resources
Check if your home is in the affected zones: https://protect.genasys.com/search.
The city states on its website that it is working to identify “hotels and other accommodations that can offer discounted rates for residents.” A list is available here.
For updates, the city directs residents to rpvca.gov/landmovement and PVPready.gov.
On Sunday, Southern California Edison officials said they will provide a vehicle to serve people who need to charge devices or get information. That customer care vehicle will be parked on Narcissa Drive at the Pepper Wood gate, starting Sunday through Tuesday. The hours of operation are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
What’s next
Affected residents can find resources here.
