It seemed like a scene from a horror movie; their homes started to creak, crack and slide downhill into the canyon below and they were given a mere twenty minutes to grab some things and run.
A massive landslide along Peartree Lane in Rolling Hills Estates, a community in Southern California, forced the evacuation of 12 homes. County Supervisor Janice Hahn said that the homes have been “completely destroyed”. The landslide continues to threaten more homes.
Loud cracks could be heard and the homes were visibly sliding along as Eyewitness News reported from the scene Sunday afternoon.
The first sign they noted was a water leak that was reported at around 4 p.m. Saturday on Peartree Lane. But apparently the trouble was already brewing, as residents say they had been hearing cracks under their homes as far back as Thursday.
“We thought something was amiss because all through the day and night we heard cracks in the house,” said one resident evacuated, Weber Yen. “And then, you know, the frequency became more and more frequent.”
A total of 16 people have been evacuated. They were given about 20 minutes to grab some things and leave their homes.
Other residents are now worried that they may be next to have to leave their homes and all their possessions behind. “I was up actually, most of the night, worrying about what’s going to happen,” said Mimi Borg. “They told us that they would knock on our door if we had to be evacuated.”
As a precaution, utilities have been shut off in the area as officials investigate the landslide’s cause.
For now, there is only speculation as to the cause. One official suggested that it may have been caused by water evaporating in the ground. Residents believe it may be an ongoing water leak to blame, as they said one homeowner received a $1,000 water bill and was told that they had a leak.
“Gardeners noticed a sub terrain, he called it a river. I never witnessed that. But, (the) pipe when it was broken, was gushing to the surface. So, you had a lot of erosion, subgrade, for two weeks at least,” said Greg Brooks.
In a tweet Sunday morning, L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn said “significant land movement overnight” destroyed the homes.
Hahn said the neighborhood was first built in 1978 and had been solid until this weekend when alarming developments were noticed.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in my career,” Hahn said. “I would never think that these homes that were intact, you know, yesterday afternoon and today you could hear the creaking, the cracking, the crumbling and they’re going to fall.”
