A home on a hill in an Orinda neighborhood began to slip downhill last week, KPIX reported. The family living in it had reportedly been evacuated, and no one was injured.
The video from KPIX's helicopter shows the extent of that damage from the slide.
The home, at 14 Cedar Lane Cedar Lane, began to fall Thursday as the ground fell out from under the foundation of the house and its deck, the Chronicle reported. The hilly neighborhood had been drying out after the past month of heavy rains, leaving the ground unstable.
The home is reportedly now at about 30 feet below its original position — and is actually mostly still intact, although the doormat and the front porch were left up at the top of the hill, according to the Chronicle. By Friday, the house was reportedly padlocked and wrapped in tape, warning “Life safety threat: do not enter.”
The property had been “red-tagged” Wednesday, meaning that it was not safe for occupancy in the present state. The family left the home at the time, before the home began to slide.
Landslide threatens neighborhood in Orinda, one home already taken downhill https://t.co/YzlnDommaR
— KTVU (@KTVU) January 21, 2023
Officials closed the neighborhood from Cedar Lane at Cedar Terrace due to the movement.
Another neighbor’s home, reportedly belonging to the Sebilla family, is “yellow tagged,” meaning it has been moderately damaged to the degree that its habitability is limited.
"Our driveway, I don't know if you've probably noticed, where it's all... that sort of…as of yesterday was sinking down there,” Albert Sebilia told KTVU, adding, “they were watching as it moved kind of closer to our house, they said, and it was happening so quickly, they said, 'We don't know how far it's going. So, you can't stay here.’"
Crews are reportedly working on the neighborhood to prevent any further damage amid the landslide.
East Bay MUD told KTVU that the slide is under investigation, and that this week’s slide is unlikely related to a known pre-slide leak. However, landslide insurance is nearly impossible to get, and so the question of liability remains.
Image via Google Street View.