Landslides force power cuts in upscale LA neighbourhood

In a wealthy neighborhood in Los Angeles County, many homes are facing power outages due to worsening landslides. The community of Rancho Palos Verdes, located about 25 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, has been struggling with unstable land for a long time. However, authorities have reported that the situation has become more serious in recent months. Utility companies are now stepping in to prevent potential fires and other dangers caused by the shifting land, while some residents are determined to stay in their expensive homes. On Sunday, Southern California Edison, the power utility company, decided to cut electricity to 140 homes in the Portuguese Bend area, with the possibility of further cuts in the future. The ground movement has accelerated significantly, with some areas shifting as much as 10 inches per week, according to city council member David Bradley. He noted that the ground is visibly moving in some places. Additionally, 105 more customers in the city, which has a population of 42,000, were informed that they would lose power on Monday. Just last week, a downed power line caused a small wildfire in Portuguese Bend. Larry Chung, a spokesperson for the power company, explained that the land movement in the Portuguese Bend community has created a dangerous situation. As a result, they made the difficult decision to disconnect power indefinitely to prevent any equipment from igniting a wildfire. Gas and water services have already been cut off in this upscale neighborhood. The landslide, which covers 680 acres, has been occurring for years at a slow pace, but it has accelerated due to heavy rainfall in California over the past two years. Experts have stated that the current acceleration is beyond what anyone could have predicted, and it requires more response from both the state and federal government. Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn announced at a news conference that $5 million has been allocated for disaster relief, but she emphasized that more assistance is needed. She urged California Governor Gavin Newsom to visit the area personally and declare a state of emergency. Authorities have been encouraging residents to evacuate, but evacuations are not mandatory at this time. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna mentioned that deputies will be using drones to monitor the area. Resident Jim Denver expressed to ABC News that he refuses to leave, feeling abandoned by Southern California Edison. Another resident, Tom Keefer, told the New York Times that despite the warnings, they are not planning to leave. The slow-moving landslide is part of a complex of ancient landslides that was reactivated when the county expanded Crenshaw Boulevard in 1956. This landslide is one of the largest continually active landslides in the United States and has shifted homes by hundreds of feet over the years. The city also spends approximately $1 million each year to repair a major road due to ongoing shifting and cracking.