Power shutoffs on Wednesday continued to disrupt the lives of hundreds of residents in an affluent city in Southern California where landslides triggered evacuation warnings and led Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency.
The “severe land movement,” which has been a persistent threat for decades in Rancho Palos Verdes, a coastal city about 30 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, led authorities to intentionally cut power to hundreds of households after a landslide collapsed a power line and caused a small brush fire last week.
Beginning on Sunday, officials conducted rounds of shutoffs starting with 140 residences in the Portuguese Bend neighborhood and 105 homes in the Seaview community. In a public statement, the city cited “the risk of utility equipment igniting a wildfire and other hazards caused by downed wires or damaged equipment impacted by landslide movement.”
At least 20 properties “will be without power indefinitely,” according to initial estimates from the city. Dozens of other residents are expected to have their power restored within one to three weeks, the city said.