California Governor Gavin Newsom has proclaimed a state of emergency in Rancho Palos Verdes.
The community of this major California city has been struggling with the threat of land movement and landslides which has resulted in gas and power being shut off to hundreds of homes.
Power Shut Off in Rancho Palos Verdes
This weekend, SoCal Edison announced that they would officially shut off power to hundreds of homes in Rancho Palos Verdes.
According to the company, this electric shut-off had to happen because of increasing worries over land movement in the community.
An Indefinite Shut Off
While some homes in the town will only have their power shut off for a few days, other residents are looking at weeks of no power.
Even more concerning, some homeowners have been told by the company that their power will be shut off indefinitely.
A Sudden Announcement
Many homeowners have voiced their anger and frustration with SoCal Edison, as they state that this announcement that they were getting their electric and power shut off was last minute.
Resident Justin Monzon said, “The overwhelming sensation when I first read the email from Edison was frustration.” He added that the announcement came “indefinitely and with no warning to sufficiently prepare.”
The Threat of Landslides
SoCal Edison has shut off power to hundreds of homes in the community because of the reported threat of ongoing landslides.
Because of a particularly rainy spring last year, experts have noticed that the ground has been moving. This land movement could bring great devastation and harm if these electric pieces of equipment remain on.
A Dangerous Situation
SoCal Edison has responded to many homeowners’ public comments and has stated that they are only making these moves because the situation remains dangerous.
A spokesperson for the company said, “We know this is a difficult time for Rancho Palos Verdes and we’ve been looking for ways that we can keep the power safely flowing. At this point, land movement in Rancho Palos Verdes has created such a dangerous situation that we must make the difficult decision to disconnect power to 140 residential customers indefinitely.”
Keeping the Public Safe
SoCal Edison also revealed that a recent sewage spill and fire have further led to this shut-off.
“Recently, a fire near Narcissa Drive demonstrated that we cannot mitigate the public safety risk from the land movement in the area we are disconnecting,” added SoCal Edison’s spokesperson. “Since the accelerated land movement continues to damage our electric equipment, we need to turn off power to keep the public safe.”
A California State of Emergency
To help residents and locals deal with this ongoing issue, Newsom has officially declared a state of emergency for Rancho Palos Verdes.
Now, the city and state will work together to try to deal with the threat of landslides and land movement. They will also seek to help their many displaced residents who have nowhere to go.
An Ongoing Effort
Newsom’s office has explained that they’ve been working with the city and county officials on this growing issue for almost a year now.
This assistance from Newsom’s Office of Emergency Services has led to help with technical assistance, as well as analyzing damage estimates.
Extreme Land Movement
Newsom’s office has released a statement about this emergency and the extreme threat of land movement.
“The city is located on four out of five sub-slides that comprise the Greater Portuguese Landslide Complex. Land movement at that part of the complex has significantly accelerated following severe storms in 2023 and 2024,” the governor’s office said.
A New Issue
Rancho Palos Verdes’ Mayor John Cruikshank has found yet another new issue to add to this growing emergency.
According to Cruikshank, the city’s sewage system runs on electricity. Therefore, the water and sewage won’t be able to be properly and safely ejected from these homes that have had their power and electricity shut off.
A Health Crisis
This fact can quickly lead to a great health and sanitation crisis, especially if a problem with the city’s sewage occurs.
Now, officials are working to try to solve this issue, while also keeping an eye on the growing threat of land movement in that same area.
