Gas, electricity and even water have been cut off to residents of a California coastal town, who have been warned to evacuate at any time after landslides left areas virtually uninhabitable.
Rancho Palos Verdes, south of Los Angeles, has been called the richest retirement town in the United States, but many poorer residents have been left with nowhere to go after rising groundwater destroyed their utility network.
Gas supplies were cut off to 135 households in early August, before electricity and water supplies were cut off on Sunday.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has been urged to intervene as another 105 homes could lose power by 7pm on Monday as chaos spreads across the city.
“I have no idea where the hell I’m going,” said resident Nikki Noushkam as she prepared to leave her home. “Why do they think it’s okay to ignore us? We’ve lost everything and we’re not rich, we’re working professionals.”
The ground beneath California’s Palos Verdes Ranch has been disintegrating under the pressure of more than a year of flooding and landslides.
Resident Mike Hong has accused utility companies of abandoning city residents.
The coastal community has been plagued by landslides since torrential rains hit the area in spring last year.
Dozens of homes were destroyed by landslides in July last year and floodwaters swept through the area during storms that hit California in February, causing “significant ground movement” beneath surviving homes.
Southern California Edison made the decision to shut off power after a fire broke out Thursday when a power line fell and 10,000 gallons of sewage spilled from a ruptured tank on Palos Verdes Drive South.
“At this time the earth movement has created such a dangerous situation that we must make the difficult decision to shut off power indefinitely,” spokesman David Eisenhauer said.
“We never want to have to shut off power unless it’s absolutely necessary. In this case, it’s absolutely necessary. We have an obligation that goes beyond providing electric service, and that obligation is safety.”
But resident Mike Hong said his neighbors were given just an hour’s notice that their power was being shut off.
“They are giving us even less time than the gas company,” he said. Los Angeles Times.
“Don’t abandon us. Where is the humanity in this?”
More than a quarter of the city’s residents are over 65 and some have been ordered to start packing.
Nikki Noushkam was left with nowhere to go as she prepared to leave her home.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna has promised a fleet of drones to patrol the neighborhood and warned opportunistic thieves not to target the growing number of abandoned homes.
“SCE has determined that a threat to public safety exists,” the city told them in a notice Saturday.
‘Do not use water or plumbing after the power is cut off; this could cause a sewer spill.
‘All persons in these areas should prepare to evacuate and seek alternative housing.
‘Prepare important documents, medications and essential items. Make arrangements for pets and animals.’
The city of 42,000 residents has a median income of $166,747 and was ranked the richest retirement city in the country in a recent CNBC survey.
But residents say its reputation for wealth has led politicians to ignore it and put its vulnerable residents at particular risk.
“Everyone must assume that everyone who lives in Rancho Palos Verdes is infinitely wealthy and that’s not the case, especially for me,” Craig Cadwallader said. CBS News.
“So I literally don’t know where I’m going.”
County Supervisor Janice Hahn said she had committed another $5 million in county funds to disaster relief and repeated her demands for Gov. Newsom to intervene.
“There is no manual for an emergency like this,” he said at a news conference on Sunday.
County Supervisor Janice Hahn has demanded intervention from Governor Gavin Newsom
The coastal city of 42,000 people has a median income of $166,747 and was labeled the country’s wealthiest retirement city in a recent CNBC survey.
But resident Craig Cadwallader said the city’s poorest residents are being ignored.
‘We’re not cutting corners. This is bigger than Rancho Palos Verdes. This earthworks is so massive and so disruptive that one city shouldn’t have to bear the burden alone.
You would think that if this had been an earthquake, a fire, or a flash flood, we would have had a different response.
SoCal Edison will cut power to another 105 customers Monday night in the Seaview area, blaming “accelerated ground movement that is causing damage to our electrical equipment.”
The company was unable to give an estimate of when power would be restored to some.
“It’s really mind-blowing,” said one resident. “It doesn’t seem legal.”
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna has promised a fleet of drones to patrol the neighborhood and warned opportunistic thieves not to target the growing number of abandoned homes.
“We are ready to arrest you, and you will go to jail if you come here to steal anything,” he added.
“Don’t think about it.”
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