ROLLING HILLS (CNS) – Utility shutoffs prompted by rapid land movement that have been impacting residents of Rancho Palos Verdes will extend to neighboring Rolling Hills Monday, with nearly three dozen homes expected to lose natural gas service, and more anticipated to lose electricity.
According to the city, Southern California Gas Co. is expected to shut off service to 34 Rolling Hills homes at about 3 p.m. Monday due to the land movement. Southern California Edison, meanwhile, is expected to cut service to 51 homes in the area by Wednesday evening.
“SCE has experienced a significant increase in the number of repairs needed to continue to safely provide power, and because of the accelerating land movement and dynamic conditions in the area, SCE is unable to effectively monitor the situation and safely maintain service,” according to a notice sent by the utility to affected residents. “The rapid increase in fissures and impacts on SCE’s infrastructure means that the company cannot mitigate the public safety risk of downed poles and wires in this area.”
SoCalGas officials said “following a recent geological hazard survey and an incident with the water system validating concerns, SoCalGas determined that recent and potential land movement have made it unsafe to continue providing natural gas service for 34 homes in the city of Rolling Hills.”
There was no indication of how long the shutoffs might last.
Dozens of homes in the Portuguese Bend, Seaview and Portuguese Bend Beach Club areas of Rancho Palos Verdes have already been coping with utility outages. Nearly 150 homes have also lost cable and internet services from Cox Communication.
An evacuation warning has been in place for the Portuguese Bend community.
Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency Sept. 3 in the city in an effort to free up state resources to assist in the response.
“The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services has been coordinating with the city and county for nearly a year to support the response to the land movement, including providing technical assistance, supporting the local assistance center, facilitating a federal mitigation grant for groundwater work in the area, and helping officials with initial damage estimates,” according to a statement from Newsom’s office.
Some local officials have been pressuring Newsom to visit the city to view the impact of the landslides and to provide state assistance for residents. County Supervisor Janice Hahn announced Friday that she had directed $5 million from her office’s discretionary funds to the city of Rancho Palos Verdes, urging the city to provide direct financial relief to affected residents.
Hahn on Monday traveled to Washington, D.C., to push for funding for a local rail project, but told KNX News before departing that she would also lobby for money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The city of Rancho Palos Verdes declared a local emergency earlier this summer.
Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor John Cruikshank met privately on Friday with former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to discuss the landslide issues. The mayor then appeared alongside Trump at his Friday morning news conference at Trump National Golf Club in the city.
The land movement in Rancho Palos Verdes has accelerated across 680 acres following heavy rains in spring 2023, causing damage to homes, roads and utilities.
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