Landslide at Portuguese Bend portion of Palos Verdes slows down, geologists say

By Lesley Marin

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    RANCHO PALOS VERDES, California (KCAL, KCBS) — During a Rancho Palos Verdes City Council meeting Tuesday night, geologists delivered a small glimmer of hope for people affected by land movement in the Portuguese Bend area.

They confirmed that although the landslide is still moving, it has decelerated from an average of 13 inches a week to 8 inches, a roughly 38% decrease. However, geologists quickly clarified that the deceleration was expected because of the lack of rain for the past five months.

Additionally, the city said six dewatering wells have been set up, pumping about 600 gallons of water out of the land a minute.

The update did not reassure some residents after the disaster forced utility companies to shut off power and gas to their homes.

“I feel like we have been abandoned,” resident Nikki Noushkam said. “I’m just hoping that we’re preparing ourselves for this winter.”

This winter is expected to bring more rain and historically accelerate the slide. The City Council spoke about adding more ways to pump out water, along with preventing more water from getting in by filling large cracks.

However, it will take money. The city believes their request for millions from FEMA — the Federal Emergency Management Agency — will likely be denied because the pre-existing landslide are not eligible for disaster recovery.

“If it was another natural disaster, we would not be having these conversations,” Noushkam said.

City officials also outline how they planned to use the $5 million allocated by Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn. The plan includes $10,000 payments to impact homeowners while spending the rest on response and stabilization efforts.

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