California $2.5 million mansion owner says he’s ‘checking every hour’ as his home teeters on the edge of falling off cliff into the ocean after being battered by Pineapple express storm
The resident of a cliff-top home in California is confronted with the reality that his backyard could fall off a cliff at any moment.
Alan Ashavi, 66, says he’s growing more nervous by the day about his property, which fell victim to the atmospheric rivers that rained down on California earlier this month.
Last year, some of Ashavi’s neighbors in San Clemente saw their backyards collapse into the ocean as the land beneath them eroded.
Ashavi avoided the same fate last rainy season, but this year he was not so lucky.
San Clemente, California, homeowner Alan Ashavi laments the storms that could eventually cause his clifftop estate to collapse into the sea
Earlier this month, an atmospheric river caused a landslide beneath his million-dollar estate, leaving his swimming pool on the brink of collapse.
An aerial view of a remaining swimming pool at the edge of a hillside landslide caused by heavy rain, which caused four ocean-view apartment buildings to be evacuated and closed due to unstable conditions, on March 16, 2023 in San Clemente, California
Aerial photos show aftermath of cliff collapse after extreme weather in Southern California threatens multi-million dollar homes
Earlier this month, an atmospheric river caused a landslide beneath his million-dollar estate, leaving his swimming pool on the brink of collapse.
“You have to deal with it every day and you come here every day or sometimes every hour,” Ashavi told Reuters, calling the ordeal “nerve-wracking.”
âI know this is an El Nino year as far as rain is concerned, so I have been thinking about being involved in the construction for a long time,â he added.
Over the past two months, storms have battered California with heavy rains and incredibly high winds.
The weather system they were part of was called the Pineapple Express. It ultimately prompted Governor Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency in eight counties, affecting more than 20 million residents.
At various times, flash flood warnings have been issued for parts of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, where mudslides have increasingly become a hazard over the past decade.
Luxury homes are on the brink of collapse as homeowners on cliffs watch their neighbors lose their patios falling into the sea.
A professor at the University of California, Irvine says erosion could soon move inland in a meaningful way.
“There are atmospheric rivers coming from the oceans, dropping rain here on these hills, and then the hills start to erode as well,” said Kathleen Treseder, a professor of climate change.
‘And so we not only suffer from erosion here by the waves, but also inland, caused by rainfall.
âWe have a lot of multi-million dollar homes along this coast that are going to fall into the ocean,â she said.
A professor at the University of California, Irvine says erosion could soon move inland in a meaningful way
San Clemente, California – Aerial photos show the aftermath of the cliff collapse after extreme weather in Southern California threatened multimillion-dollar homes earlier this month
âWe have a lot of multi-million dollar homes along this coast that are going to fall into the ocean,â said a UCI professor.
Landslides along oceanfront cliffs in San Clemente recently led to the closure of the city’s beach trails.
Stairs leading to the coastal path at Dije Court, El Portal and Lasuens Beach were added to the list of closed access points this month due to the area’s ongoing instability.
Engineers continue to assess and reassess the structural integrity of coastal properties after each storm.
In Dana Point, a wealthy enclave of Orange County about a ten-minute drive north of San Clemente, three beautiful mansions teeter precariously on the edge of a cliff after a landslide earlier this month.
Each of the mansions â each more stunning and expensive than the last â is now at risk of plunging into the Pacific Ocean.
Residents of the affected properties, which cost $12.8 million, $13 million and $15.9 million respectively, have been advised to remain vigilant and prepare for the looming possibility of relocation.
Three multimillion-dollar homes in Southern California are teetering precariously on the edge of a cliff after a landslide in February
The collapse occurred on Scenic Drive in Dana Point, with mud and debris sliding hundreds of feet down the cliff