Weber Yen had about 10 minutes to grab what he could from his house and evacuate due to a landslide in his Rolling Hills Estates neighborhood.
He grabbed some essentials, thinking he'd be back in his Peartree Lane home in a few days.
That was Saturday. He could only watch in the difficult hours and days that followed as his house became one of at least 10 destroyed as earth continued to shift on the northern end of Los Angeles County's Palos Verdes Peninsula.
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"I didn't think it was going to be that bad," Lin said. "The most important things are the memories. A life-time of memories that we've gathered. Children's pictures back in the days when they didn't have digital photography."
At least 10 homes remained uninhabitable Tuesday with residents facing the threat of more damage and destruction. Cracking, popping and creaking sounds could be heard through the night coming from many of the houses, some of which were ripped from their foundations by the slide.
"The movement is still really astounding to me," said county Supervisor Janice Hahn after touring the area Monday. "How quickly these homes are literally collapsing and sliding down the hill."
Residents on Peartree Lane noticed the land shift Saturday afternoon. Evacuations began shortly after.
County fire officials were closely monitoring 16 other homes in the area for cracks and other signs of movement. Two homes, one at the top of the street and the other at the bottom, were of particular concern.
Yen said there was no warning about the possibility of a major landslide. The cause remains a mystery.
"Why weren't we fore-warned? Did anybody look at this before?"
Hahn said that after the homes stop sliding, the homeowners association in the area can bring in geologists and soil experts to examine the area.
"We think after it's all settled, a good geologist and soil expert maybe will give us a clue about how this happened and if there's any way of preventing it from happening on some other hillside," Hahn said.
Electricity in the area was turned off Saturday and utility crews made sure no gas or power lines were disrupted, authorities said.
The American Red Cross was helping to find shelter for the evacuated families. Huff said the Red Cross offered hotel vouchers to displaced residents, but most had already made other arrangements.
There have been no reports of any injuries.
Hahn said she reached out to Gov. Gavin Newsom Monday but had not yet spoken to him about the situation. She said she would like to invite him to tour the neighborhood.
