City Declares Emergency After Gas Shut Off for 135 Homes Amid Landslide

The California community was built on one of the largest continuously active landslides in the U.S. Movement has accelerated in recent years due to heavy rain.

Collapsed homes are pictured sliding down a hill along a street in the Rolling Hills States neighborhood in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., on July 10, 2023. Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images

Officials in a Southern California city declared a local emergency Aug. 6 after gas service was permanently shut off last week for 135 homes that sit atop an ancient—but active—landslide, with residents now left to look for gas alternatives for their homes.

City leaders in Rancho Palos Verdes declared the emergency in response to the July 29 shut-off by SoCalGas in an area known as Portuguese Bend. It allows them to seek state and federal aid for the city and affected homeowners, a city spokesperson told The Epoch Times.