Evacuated residents return after landslide
LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. “”mdash; Hundreds of evacuated residents
were allowed to return to their homes Thursday, a day after a
landslide sent multimillion-dollar houses slipping down Bluebird
Canyon.
Though 48 homes remained at least temporarily off-limits, people
could go back to about 310 undamaged homes as crews worked to
restore gas and phone services to the area, City Manager Ken Frank
said. Electricity was back on in most homes Thursday.
More than 250 people packed the City Council chambers for a
meeting where Frank read out addresses of homes that had been
damaged or where entry was restricted because of their proximity to
Wednesday’s landslide.
A number of the houses that were cordoned off can still be
saved, Frank said, but others were lost entirely.
“˜”˜Some of you, you’ve got your houses down the
hill,” he said. “˜”˜You’re not going
to get in now. You’re not going to get in this
month.”
Assistant City Manager John Pietig said 15 homes suffered
significant damage, and a police spokeswoman said seven of those
were destroyed. Pietig said damage estimates had shifted since the
slide and could change again in coming days.
Frayed nerves were on display among the residents gathered for
the meeting at City Hall.
Compiled from Bruin wire services.