Once again, some homes in Rancho Palos Verdes will lose power this week, the latest in a recent trend of major utilities pulling out of the area due to ongoing earth-moving.
Southern California Edison officials announced the move Sunday, noting that 54 other homes in the Lower Portuguese Bend Beach Club will have their power shut off at 6 p.m. Monday. In addition, Cox Communication will also disconnect 146 customers in the Portuguese Bend Community Association.
Both companies say they have already warned customers who will be affected.
This move comes just a week after SCE first announced their plan to disconnect 140 households from electricity last sunday, with the addition of a 105 additional homes the next dayHowever, nearly 50 of them regained power within 24 hours of the outage as crews worked to repair a broken line in the area.
Read more: Rancho Palos Verdes faces deeper, bigger landslide threat, city report says
On Friday, SoCalGas has also cut off service to 29 homes in the western Seaview area and 25 homes in the Portuguese Bend Beach Club. Officials said there was a “sudden gas line rupture” on Exultant Drive, which prompted an immediate decision.
“There is no way to safely continue to supply gas to 16 homes on Admirable Drive, eight homes on Dauntless Drive and five homes on Palos Verdes Drive,” the company said in a statement.
Earlier this year they made a similar choice for more than 130 homes in the area of the Portuguese Bend because of a similar problem.
“At this time, SoCalGas does not know when it will be safe to restore service to these communities,” the company said at the time. “We understand that this situation remains difficult and uncertain for many in the community.”
No evacuation orders have been issued for Rancho Palos Verdes residents living in the area hardest hit by the ongoing displacement. However, city officials have warned everyone to be prepared due to the “dynamic” situation.
Despite this, most have remained in their homes, often meeting with city officials to try to find an answer to the pressing problem.
On Tuesday, Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency for the region, allowing the city to use state resources to assist in their response.
“The Governor’s Office of Emergency Management has been working with the city and county for nearly a year to support the ground movement response. This includes providing technical assistance, supporting the local resource center, facilitating a federal grant for groundwater work in the area and helping officials conduct initial damage assessments,” Newsom’s statement said.
The land movement has caused serious problems since early 2023when heavy rains hit the area, causing a growing landslide that damaged homes and roads.
In February, the famous Wayfarers Chapel announced that they closure due to structural damage maintained by the land movement.
“There is no playbook for an emergency like this,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn said at a news conference last week. “We are sparing no expense. … This is bigger than Rancho Palos Verdes. The land movement is so massive and so damaging that one city should not have to bear the burden alone.”
She estimates that they will need more than $1 billion in government funding over the next few years to address the changing situation.
