July 13 (UPI) — Additional homes in an affluent Southern California neighborhood impacted by a landslide have been ordered to evacuate, officials said.
The landslide hit Peartree Lane in the city of Rolling Hills Estates in Los Angels County starting Saturday, causing damage to a number of homes. Initially, 12 homes were ordered to vacate but that number has since increased to 17.
On Wednesday, Rolling Hills Mayor Britt Huff and Janice Hahn, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, announced that a $125,000 fund has been created to help displaced residents with temporary housing, food and other essentials.
“These funds are intended to bridge displaced residents until they find new housing arrangements,” Huff said in a statement. “The city remains laser focused on this matter and is collaborating with the homeowners association to ensure there is urgency addressing this slow moving crisis.”
Rolling Hills Estates is providing $25,000 to the fund through unused American Rescue Plan Act resources that were made available for so-called discretionary expenses allocated to the city to fight COVID-19. The remaining funds are coming from the county’s Fourth Supervisorial District Housing Discretionary Fund, officials said.
The five additional houses were ordered to evacuate Tuesday as continuing movement of the land caused a sewer main to break, officials said, adding that 11 additional units on Peartree Lane remain on “watch,” meaning occupants are encouraged to evacuate but are not yet required to do so.
“This sewer line break is due to land movement, but not the movement of the newly evacuated housing units,” the city said in a statement.
Rolling Hills Estates City Council has unanimously voted to proclaim a local emergency, which will make state and federal resources available.
