Support for LAist comes from
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Stay Connected
Listen

Share This

Climate and Environment

These Signs Could Be An Indication Your Home Is About To Slide Down A Hill

A swimming pool sits on the edge of a landslide below an apartment building above Amtrak rail tracks following heavy rains.
Landslides across Southern California are common. Residents were evacuated from homes in Orange County back in March 2023.
(
Patrick T. Fallon
/
AFP via Getty Images
)

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.

On Saturday, L.A. County firefighters responded to a call at a hillside home in Rolling Hills Estates, where the owners said they could hear creaking, see the structure tilting and cracks visibly growing.

It wasn’t long after the first responders arrived that they decided to evacuate 12 homes in the area due to landslide potential.

Sure enough, by Sunday, the soil beneath them gave out and the houses began to slide into Agua Amarga Canyon below.

Support for LAist comes from

The reason for the landslide is currently under investigation, but they often happen when water’s involved.

How landslides happen

As water slowly percolates through the ground — either due to something like a broken water main or a major storm — it squeezes in between particles of soil, increasing pressure. The soil struggles to stick together until a weak spot gives out and everything starts to slide.

“In general, deep landslides, slow-moving landslides that start to creep for a while then may fail catastrophically often take a long time to wake up,” said Jason Kean, research hydrologist with the USGS. “It can be on a months to years timescale.”

Meaning, landslides are still possible as a result of heavy rains months or years ago.

Support for LAist comes from

Warning signs one is imminent

Landslides are more likely to occur on steep terrain and, importantly, in places where landslides have occurred before.

Look at the state’s Landslide Inventory map and you can see that they’ve occurred in the same canyon the homes this weekend began to collapse into.

It’s all but impossible to predict exactly when a landslide will occur, but there are warning signs people should look out for:

  • The movement of land either around or beneath the home.
  • Cracks growing around or inside the home in places like the foundation.
  • A creaking sound like the earth around you is moving.
  • Utilities, water lines and gas lines breaking.

The U.S. Geological Survey has a comprehensive list available.

If there are signs of a landslide, contact the fire department or public works.

Corrected July 10, 2023 at 4:55 PM PDT
An earlier version of this story incorrectly said the homes were located in Rancho Palos Verdes.

As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.

Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist