Residents in about 140 Rancho Palos Verdes homes remained under an evacuation warning Sunday as Southern California Edison shut off electricity in the area, but they were spared immediate evacuation thanks to the presence of backup generators.
The shutoff at noon Sunday in the Portuguese Bend community came amid worsening landslides that have accelerated across 680 acres following heavy rains in spring 2023, causing damage to homes, roads and utilities.
SCE said the land movement is now considered a public safety threat and will be disconnecting service to 140 residential customers on Sunday at 12 p.m.
"There is no playbook for an emergency like this one," County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who represents the area, said at a Sunday news conference. "... We're sparing no expense. ... This is bigger than Rancho Palos Verdes. This land movement is so gigantic and so damaging, that one city should not have to bear the burden alone."
Hahn repeated her call for Gov. Gavin Newsom to personally visit the area, and said she had committed another $5 million in county funds to respond to the disaster.
"This is bigger than Rancho Palos Verdes. This land movement is so gigantic and so damaging, that one city should not have to bear the burden alone," said L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn.
An emergency assistance center opened Sunday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Ladera Linda Community Center at 32201 Forrestal Drive. City officials and those from other agencies were available to answer questions about the current emergency, hotels with discounted rates, pet and animal relocation, mental health support, emergency preparedness and other needs.
The affected areas for the power shutoff can be found here . Officials said residents could also check to see whether they are in the evacuation area here or on the genasys Protect app.
Authorities stressed again Sunday that residents in the affected area should be ready to leave at a moment's notice.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said he authorized the use of drones to help guard against possible criminal activity targeting the homes of residents who might leave the area.
The utility announced the shutoff Saturday.
The city of Rancho Palos Verdes said on Saturday: "SCE has determined there is a public safety threat. Electricity service will be discontinued in these zones effective Sunday, September 1 at 12 p.m. PST. DO NOT USE WATER OR PLUMBING AFTER THE POWER IS SHUT OFF -- THIS COULD RESULT IN A SEWER SPILL. All persons in these zones should prepare to evacuate and seek alternative housing. Pack important documents, medications, and essential items. Make arrangements for pets and animals."
The power interruption is the latest development in an ongoing crisis related to land movement that began over a year ago, following the heavy rains that impacted the area starting in spring 2023. The slides resulted in roadway damage and the red-tagging of two homes that were damaged severely enough to be dangerous to inhabit, and officials later declared a local emergency.
The land movement caused water and gas distribution pipes to break, displaced sanitary sewer collection pipes and made utility poles lean.
On July 29, despite protests from residents and city officials, Southern California Gas Co. cut off natural gas service to 135 homes in the city's Portuguese Bend community due to concerns about the land movement.
Residents spent the first weekend after the gas shutoff hustling to find propane and electric alternatives so they could stay in their homes. Officials did not order evacuations at that time because no gas leaks were detected.
Gas company officials said the area "continues to experience significant new land movement damaging roads, homes and further threatening the safety of SoCalGas' infrastructure."
The city had warned residents that Southern California Edison officials said they might discontinue electricity in the future if conditions warranted.
On Aug. 28, officials said that land movement the previous weekend caused an approximately 10,000-gallon sewer spill on private property along Palos Verdes Drive South near Narcissa Drive. The Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, the agency that operates the main trunk sewers that transport wastewater out of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, responded to stop the spill and make an emergency repair.
It is the city's understanding that this incident was the first significant break in LACSD's infrastructure due to ongoing land movement," according to a city statement. "We continue to work closely with LACSD to expedite permitting for repair work, as needed, as well as efforts to install an above-ground by-pass sewer pipe along Palos Verdes Drive South."
Officials added that the incident underscored "the urgent need to slow the land movement and prevent a major sewer failure, which would have a far-reaching impact across the Peninsula."
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