FEMA deems RPV landslide pre-existing condition; locals are furious

The City of Rancho Palos Verdes says FEMA refuses to help with disaster relief for residents impacted by the recent landslides.

The agency claims that the land movement, which has destroyed property and forced utility shutoffs to hundreds of homes , is a pre-existing condition. However, locals aren't buying it and are demanding more help.

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So far, nearly 200 homeowners like Niki Noushkam, who bought her Seaview neighborhood home 20 years ago, have been promised $10,000 per household, but those funds are coming from L.A. County.

Noushkam told KNX News' Nataly Tavidian , "It's a nice initial gesture, but we have a lot to go."

A geologist recently said that the land movement has slowed about 13%, but Noushkam said this small bit of positive news does not change the fact that the land is still moving and damage continues to occur. She says the state and federal government needs to step up.

Many have been forced to spend tens of thousands of their own money to cover what they believe should be the government's responsibility, and Noushkam said, "It's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when there is no state and no federal assistance of any kind."

As for people and FEMA, who say anyone living in a 'landslide area' should have known this could happen, Noushkam said, "I would like to have them go and look at the history, and also the landslide maps that the Department of Conservation puts out in the State of California. A lot of people in California, millions, are living in areas that are identified as landslide areas."

City leaders estimate upwards of $60 million in damage has been done, and they continue to press for federal, state, and Edison assistance. The city says FEMA is only approving about $1 million in aid.

Noushkam hopes that government officials will cut through the red tape and help her community, especially before the rainy season, which will add to an already dangerous situation with growing fissures and vulnerable red-tagged homes poised to cause more damage.

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