More homes in Rancho Palos Verdes will be without power as land continues to shift
As the land continues to shift under neighborhoods near the oceanside cliffs of Rancho Palos Verdes, an additional 54 customers will have their power cut off.
The announcement from Southern California Edison came as around 170 other homes in the area were already without power, some indefinitely. That includes about 140 homes in the Portuguese Bend neighborhood that have had power and gas cut off for safety reasons.
The power will go off for 54 customers in the lower Portuguese Bend Beach Club neighborhood starting Monday at 6 p.m.
At a Rancho Palos Verdes City Council meeting last week, Edison officials said they were monitoring the land movement to decide whether power shutoffs were necessary.
And some residents will be without cable television and internet, as Cox Communications announced it will be disconnecting service to 146 customers indefinitely in the Portuguese Bend Community Assn. starting Monday.
The decision was made in response to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s state of emergency declaration amid ongoing land movement, the service provider said in a statement.
“We maintained connectivity as long as it was safe to do so, but evolving conditions require us to discontinue service,” the statement said.
The internet company said it would restore service “as soon as it’s safe for our crews to do so.”
Recently, land in the area has been shifting at unprecedented rates: as much as a foot a week. That’s created increasing challenges for residents, first responders, city officials and utilities, as infrastructure damage and safety concerns escalate.
Late last month, a power line fell and sparked nearby vegetation, setting off a small fire in Portuguese Bend.
Though the blaze was quickly extinguished, the incident demonstrated the perilous state of things, David Eisenhauer, a SoCal Edison spokesperson, said at the time.
Some in the Portuguese Bend neighborhood have ignored an evacuation warning and stayed in their homes.
Rancho Palos Verdes issued an evacuation warning for the Portuguese Bend area Saturday a little after 3 p.m., citing the impending loss of power.
At 3 p.m. Friday, SoCalGas shut off service to 29 homes in the western Seaview neighborhood and 25 homes in the Portuguese Bend Beach Club area.
The utility said the decision followed a sudden gas line break on Exultant Drive in Seaview on Aug. 30, as well as information from new geological hazard surveys.
As of Saturday, Edison had restored power to at least 75 homes in Seaview. Thirty homes in the neighborhood were still without power indefinitely.
The city has made charging stations for cellphones, laptops and other electronic devices available at the Ladera Linda Community Center from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. City officials are also coordinating with cellular providers to bring temporary cell facilities to the area.
Residents who want to install a temporary backup generator must apply for a permit and submit plans.
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