Homes in Rolling Hills Estates continued to move Monday morning, more than a day after 12 homes were evacuated due to a major floor shift.
Homes overlooking a valley were red-tagged after firefighters and investigators found their view tilted Saturday afternoon due to mass movement in the foothills. The community is on the north side of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, facing Torrance.
Those homes continued to slide down the hillside, Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Sheila Kelliher said Monday morning.
“Things are still changing there,” Kelliher said. “The landslide is still moving. We don’t know the extent of that movement, but geological engineers are going to the site to further assess the situation.
On Monday morning, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sgt. reported significant movement in the affected homes. Peter Velasco said. Officials have not yet decided whether to expand the mandatory evacuation order to more homes, but updates are expected later Monday.
Residents of affected homes “were told they had 20 minutes to get their belongings and leave,” L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn said at a news conference Sunday, where she was joined by Rolling Hills Estates Mayor Britt Huff and officials. District Fire and Public Works Departments.
“We believe many of these houses will soon fall into the valley,” Hahn said.
Firefighters and investigators were dispatched to Peatree Lane around 4pm on Saturday where they found damaged houses and garages.
A visible fissure, or crack in the ground, meanders between the affected homes, officials said.
Pete Goodrich, the city’s building official, said geologists will study the site and decide what can be done. He said there was considerable damage to houses.
The ground movement “could be due to the extensive rainfall we’ve had … but we don’t know,” Goodrich said of recent winter storms.
This is a growing story.
