Rolling Hills Estates city leaders declared a state of emergency Tuesday, days after a landslide sent multiple houses careening into a canyon. The declaration will allow the city to seek financial assistance from the state and federal government. An emergency declaration at the county level could soon follow.
The cause of the landslide is still a mystery, and its one city leaders are anxious to solve.
“Everybody wants to know what happened,” said Mayor Britt Huff.
The Rolling Hills Park Villas Homeowners Assn. will hire a geologist to examine the earth surrounding the properties and determine what may have occurred. The HOA has not provided a timeline.
Associate State Geologist Jeremy Lancaster of the California Geological Survey told the Los Angeles Times that landslides have increased around the state in the wake of winter’s record rainfall. It’s not clear if that played a role in the ground shift along the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
Read more about the city’s efforts to help homeowners, and the ongoing search for answers, here.