Gov. Newsom proclaims state of emergency in Rancho Palos Verdes
Will Conybeare
California Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency on Tuesday for the city of Rancho Palos Verdes amid the ongoing land movement threatening hundreds of homes.
The proclamation, issued early Tuesday afternoon, comes as the city works frantically to mitigate the damage from the slow-motion natural disaster, which has displaced many residents and caused officials to shut off electricity indefinitely to hundreds of homes in the community.
That shutoff began on Sunday.
To make things worse, Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor John Cruikshank noted that the city’s sewage system runs on electricity, so water sewage cannot be ejected from some homes safely and properly, creating significant sanitation and health concerns.
A view of a damaged road amid land movement crisis on September 2, 2024 in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Southern California Edison shut off power to 140 homes in the Portuguese Bend neighborhood of Rancho Palos Verdes on September 1 as continuing land movement created unsafe conditions, triggering an evacuation warning. (Photo by Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)
Aerial view of the Rancho Palos Verdes on September 2, 2024 in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Southern California Edison shut off power to 140 homes in the Portuguese Bend neighborhood of Rancho Palos Verdes on September 1 as continuing land movement created unsafe conditions, triggering an evacuation warning. (Photo by Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)
Severe landslide damage on Dauntless Drive near the Portuguese Bend Community on the Rancho Palos Verdes were an evacuation warning has been issued due to electricity being cut on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024 in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA – September 01: Southern California Edison’s community resource center in the Portuguese Bend Community on the Rancho Palos Verdes were an evacuation warning has been issued due to electricity being cut on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024 in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
One of many roads closed in the Portuguese Bend Community on the Rancho Palos Verdes were an evacuation warning has been issued due to electricity being cut on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024 in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Severe landslide damage on Dauntless Drive near the Portuguese Bend Community on the Rancho Palos Verdes were an evacuation warning has been issued due to electricity being cut on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024 in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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“The city is located on four out of five sub-slides that comprise the Greater Portuguese Landslide Complex,” the governor’s office said Tuesday. “Land movement at that part of the complex has significantly accelerated following severe storms in 2023 and 2024.”
Newsom’s Office of Emergency Services has been coordinating with city and county officials for nearly a year to support them in responding to the land movement. This includes providing technical assistance, facilitating a federal mitigation grant and helping officials with initial damage estimates.
