Incredible drone footage has captured a beautiful Californian mansion teetering on a cliff as the hillside below has been worn away by erosion.
Now the owner is only allowed to enter the property during the day, because the city wants to guarantee the safety of the house.
The property, located off Seacliff Drive in Shell Beach, was issued a yellow “Restricted Use” sign by the city of Pismo Beach on Feb. 13. A city inspector, Steve Reinwald, found that the house had been directly affected by “bluff side erosion.” on its foundation.
Bystanders saw the cliff wash away from the house, says surfer Mikae Tracht KSBY that he has “seen cliffs fall into the ocean,” but that he has never “seen a house collapse so many times.”
Pismo Beach City Manager Jorge Garcia revealed that there has been $23 million in “bluff damage along the coast” in the past year.
The home, just off Seacliff Drive in Shell Beach, was hit with a yellow “Restricted Use” sign from the city of Pismo Beach on Feb. 13 after being severely affected by erosion.
Now the owner is only allowed to enter the property during the day, because the city wants to guarantee the safety of the house
In addition to yellow tags, homes in the affected areas may also be red tagged, meaning homeowners must vacate their property completely due to safety hazards
“Some of that involves coastal access steps throughout the community, which have had varying impacts,” Garcia said.
In addition to yellow tags, homes in the affected areas may also be red-tagged, meaning homeowners must vacate their property completely due to safety hazards.
“We can receive the permits and we can help people with information, but coordinating and navigating the Coastal Act and the coastal development process is not an easy process,” Garcia added.
The city manager also noted that in some cases housing permits can be appealed and attributed that to the “complexity” of “navigating the Coastal Act.”
The California Coastal Act is a guide to how land along the state’s coast is developed and protected.
According to researchers from Lewis & Clark Law School26.3 million residents live on or near California’s 1,100 miles of coastline. About 40 percent of California beaches have experienced long-term erosion, while 66 percent have experienced short-term erosion.
In January, when a storm ripped through Pismo Beach, city officials were left scrambling to deal with the serious aftermath it caused.
The high surf conditions caused an estimated $55,000 in damage after 25-foot waves hit the city, eroding cliffs in the process. The funding comes from the city’s municipal fund.
California has been battered by severe storms in recent months that brought heavy rains and strong winds and destroyed coastal homes. Pictured: Chapman Estate, another mansion in Shell Beach that was hit by the weather
In January, when a storm ripped through Pismo Beach, city officials were left scrambling to deal with the severe aftermath that caused an estimated $55,000 in damage after 25-foot waves hit the city.
Large chunks of the beach house were cut out and rotted, water-soaked wood left on the Chapman Estate
“It’s part of what you do as a coastal community,” Garcia said KCBXFM.
“We appreciate that the council has always provided us with the resources, tools, equipment and personnel necessary to respond.”
While most homes and structures are expected to be repaired soon, others may take more time, such as the Chapman Estate, another mansion in Shell Beach.
Large chunks of the beach house were cut out, leaving rotten, water-soaked wood behind.
Homeowners up and down the coast have experienced similar problems with their clifftop homes, as Alan Ashavi, 66, fears his backyard could fall off the cliff after atmospheric rivers rained down on California.
In early February, 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.”
In February, an atmospheric river caused a landslide beneath Alan Ashavi’s estate, leaving his swimming pool on the brink of collapse.
“We have a lot of multi-million dollar homes along this coast that are going to fall into the ocean,” said Kathleen Treseder, a professor of climate change at the University of California, Irvine.
“I 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,” he added.
Heavy rains and strong winds have battered the state in recent months in a weather system called the Pineapple Express.
The storm ultimately prompted Governor Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency in eight counties, impacting 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 become increasingly a hazard over the past decade.
Kathleen Treseder, a climate change professor at the University of California, Irvine, said 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,” Treseder said.
‘And so we not only suffer from erosion here by the waves, but also inland, caused by rainfall.’
“We have a lot of multi-million dollar homes along this coast that are going to fall into the ocean,” she said.