Orinda houses threatened by growing landslide as Bay Area dries out from storms
ORINDA – As the Bay Area dries out from the recent atmospheric river storms, a neighborhood in the East Bay community of Orinda remains threatened by a growing landslide Thursday.
A home sitting on a hillside along Cedar Lane has been red-tagged after it was pushed down along with its deck, forcing the family to evacuate their house. Another residence on that street has been yellow-tagged as city officials determine if the family can return inside this week.
"They've just finished putting in a new yard and they've lost it all," said Nan Andrews, a neighbor who lives on the other side of the house sliding down the hill.
Andrews' home has been deemed safe to live in and doesn't have any damage. "From where the house ends, all of it is gone," she told KPIX.
Andrews has lived in Orinda for 50 years and is familiar with the danger some houses face in her neighborhood, but still finds it to be a shocking sight.
Police asked her and other residents to move their cars. Meanwhile, crews from different agencies, including PG&E and the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) came to the scene.
"The house next to us has had a slide before," she told KPIX. "I wondered how safe our house, being that we're next door to the one with the big slide, is and he said it's fine."
EBMUD told KPIX it has no reason to believe the slide is associated with a preexisting known leak but its staff did disconnect the water service on Wednesday at the impacted home.
Contra Costa County Public Works requested the water be turned off and EBMUD crews were in the area on Thursday to look for leaks in their pipes and other equipment.
Andrews mentioned being told in the morning her home was safe and inspectors were in her backyard when KPIX spoke to her double checking the ground.
"They also lost their soil from house edge, all the way down. It's shocking," Andews said of the home that had been yellow-tagged.
City staff told KPIX that family members were able to go inside that house to remove belongings, but they do not think it is safe for those homeowners to remain at their home.
The city cannot comment on a cause and said an investigation into what happened will have to wait until their agencies can take care of an immediate needs of the families impacted.
"What's really wonderful about this, is the neighbors' response, they're so caring," said Andrews. She went to get groceries herself and prepare a meal for one of the families unable to go home Thursday.
"This is a momentous experience and I'm so happy about all the neighbors and all the empathy they're showing," Andrews went on to say.