Gorgeous Portland Craftsman home on verge of destruction after festive landslide
An Oregon hillside home is on the brink of collapse after heavy rain and high winds caused a landslide in the home’s driveway.
The landslide occurred on Northeast Cadet Avenue in Portland and coincided with widespread power outages across the region.
“It’s coming down toward my house,” Groschong Erickson, who lives beneath the landslide, told the local CBS affiliate KOIN of the spread of destruction.
Erickson said he woke up Thursday to find his neighbor’s driveway had collapsed overnight. The landslide left a trail of debris and stopped right in front of his backyard.
“I saw some caution tape and some trees had shifted, but I didn’t know there was a landslide,” Erickson said. “It’s no surprise, that driveway has been teetering for a while and a lot of water was coming down.”
While the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) sent engineers to assess the situation, they noted that the landslide occurred on private property.
This may mean that the homeowner is ultimately responsible for the repairs and any necessary stabilization.
“I’m concerned about these trees coming into my yard. Hopefully they have good insurance,” Erickson said.
A hillside house in Oregon was on the brink of collapse when heavy rain and high winds caused a landslide in the driveway
The landslide occurred on Northeast Cadet Avenue in Portland and coincided with widespread power outages across the region
High winds, with gusts of up to 100 km/h along the coast and up to 70 km/h in the urban area since midnight, toppled trees on power lines, blocked roads and damaged properties.
Thousands of Oregonians are still without electricity as crews work to restore service.
John Farmer, a spokesman for PGE, reminded residents to remain prepared for severe weather and to use caution, especially around downed power lines
‘It doesn’t have to sparkle, hiss or move to be live. It may just be there. So number one: treat it like it’s live. Number two: stay away. We recommend the length of a city bus, 12 to 15 meters away. And number three, call PGE,” Farmer told KOIN.
PGE also recommends having a breakdown kit on hand for emergencies, including essentials such as food, medicine, flashlights and batteries.
The threat of coastal erosion is escalating, as evidenced by the devastation being caused across the United States.
In Newport Beach, California, a landslide in April endangered several homes, forcing officials to declare them unsafe.
Drone footage captured the terrifying sight of these houses teetering on the edge of a destabilized cliff.
Several homes in Newport Beach, California were given a yellow tag by officials after a landslide hit the cliff behind the properties
Extreme storms this winter have decimated the cliffs that many coastal homes sit on, meaning they are at risk of crumbling into the ocean within a few years. Pictured: Pacifica, California, in January 2024
Meanwhile, in Pacifica, California, the dream of oceanfront living has become a nightmare for many residents.
Extreme storms have ruthlessly eroded the cliffs over the past year, threatening to plunge their multimillion-dollar homes into the sea.
A National Ocean Service report published last year predicts that sea levels in the United States will rise an average of 10 to 12 inches by 2050, mainly due to climate change.
While these numbers may seem modest, even a small increase significantly increases the risk of catastrophic flooding in coastal areas and accelerates erosion.
Adding to the challenge, many insurance policies exclude coverage for damage caused by erosion.
According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, extreme weather events caused an estimated $92.9 billion in damage in 2023.
Yet standard insurance policies often include ‘named exclusions’ such as floods, earthquakes, landslides, sinkholes and landslides – a category that also includes erosion.
To cover flood damage, homeowners must purchase separate flood insurance, which does not cover cliff erosion.
For people in high-risk areas, the average annual cost of flood insurance is $1,607, according to PolicyGenie.
Homes in Narragansett, Rhode Island, pictured, were hit by two back-to-back storms in January
The Federal Emergency Management Agency can pay owners to abandon flood-prone properties, but they are only eligible if they have been victims of a presidentially declared disaster. Runs a similar program that pays owners to abandon flood-prone properties
In recent years, efforts have been made to address the growing risks. In 2021, California officials proposed a plan to buy back vulnerable coastal properties and rent them out until they become unsafe.
Similarly, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) operates a program that compensates residents for leaving flood-prone properties, but eligibility is limited to homes affected by presidentially declared disasters.
Some homeowners have taken matters into their own hands. On Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, a group of wealthy property owners tried to protect their investments by building a 1,000-foot-long “shield” of plastic fiber pipes filled with sand slurry to defend against invading water.
The privately funded project, which reportedly cost $10 million over 10 years, sparked controversy in the community.
Conservationists argued that the barrier disrupted the beach’s natural erosion processes.
This month, following orders from city officials, the group agreed to dismantle the project, marking a controversial end to the effort.