Residents impacted by the power shutoffs in Rancho Palos Verdes are sharing their experience. Darsha Philips reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024.
What to Know
- Land movement that has been ongoing for decades accelerated in parts of Rancho Palos Verdes after 2023 rainfall.
- The possibility of damaged powerlines causing a wildfires is one of the reasons for power shutoffs in the Portuguese Bend and Seaview areas of the community overlooking the Pacific
- The power shutoffs come with above-normal heat expected for the rest of the week in Southern California.
Power was shut off to an additional 105 homes Monday night due to accelerating landslides in a Rancho Palos Verdes neighborhood.
The latest round of shutoffs occurred at 7 p.m. Monday in the Seaview area of the Los Angeles County seaside community overlooking the Pacific. On Sunday, power was shut off in 140 homes in the Portuguese Bend area. Those residents also remain under an evacuation warning.
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"Last night, Southern California Edison (SCE) notified the city and 105 out of 270 Seaview homes that their electricity service will be discontinued for varying lengths of time, due to the risk of utility equipment igniting a wildfire and other hazards caused by downed wires or damaged equipment impacted by landslide movement," the city said in an update Monday morning.
The power shutoff will continue for at least 24 hours. According to the city, 47 homes will be without power for 24 hours; 40 properties will be without power for 1 to 3 weeks; and 20 properties will be without power indefinitely.
“It takes a while to get your head around this, so we are playing it day by day,” said David Blenko, whose home lost power on Monday.
"Right now ... we are running on emergency generators so we are trying to make do with what we can," said Donte Neal, whose home also lost power.
Over the weekend, city and county leaders held a press conference to discuss the next steps in the emergency.
"This is an ever-changing crisis," Rancho Palos Verdes City Manager Ara Mihranian said.
The power shutoffs come with a heat wave in the forecast, including temperatures well above normal on the coast.
No evacuations were issued for the Seaview homes.
Land movement in Ranchos Palos Verdes has increased across 680 acres following rains in spring 2023. The accelerating slides have buckled roads and damaged homes and utilities.
"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 a call for Gov. Gavin Newsom to personally visit the area. The supervisor said she had committed another $5 million in county funds to respond to the disaster, but said far more funds will be needed.
The city declared a local emergency earlier this summer. Authorities are requesting an emergency declaration from the state.
Hahn said she reached out to Newsom's office on Saturday, and estimated that upward of $1 billion in government funding might eventually be needed to address the situation.
At least two homes have been red-tagged, meaning they are unsafe to inhabit.
The affected areas for the power shutoff can be found here. Residents also can call 800-250-7339 Monday through Friday, 7 a.m.-7 p.m., and Saturdays, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. for updated information.
Southern California Edison announced the initial power shutoff on Saturday.
"SCE has determined there is a public safety threat," the utility said in a statement. "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."
Larry Chung, SCE's vice president for customer engagement, said Sunday that the utility made the "difficult decision" to disconnect the power due to the lack of solid ground, with the danger of disturbed power lines causing a wildfire being just one concern. He added that some areas of the peninsula were seeing land movement of 1 foot per week, and other officials warned of the possibility of a "catastrophic failure" to the area's infrastructure.
Mihranian said Sunday that three generators were procured by residents and installed by city officials to power the area's sewer system. In late August, officials said land movement the pervious 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."
On July 29, Southern California Gas Co. cut off natural gas service to 135 homes in the Portuguese Bend community due to land movement concerns. Resident raced 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 gas infrastructure remains under threat from the land movement.
Although the current problem was prompted by the 2023 rains, Mihranian said the crisis is due to specific geological conditions he described an "ancient landslide that goes back thousands of years," which was activated by more recent tunneling involving a section of Crenshaw Boulevard.
As for fears of looting at evacuated homes, 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.
