Laurel Canyon house shifts, cracks after storm hits Southern California with heavy rain, winds

LAUREL CANYON, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- As people began to assess the damage from a storm that drenched Southern California, one resident in Laurel Canyon discovered how powerful the rain and winds were.

"This happened last night. The house cracked and shifted," Rick Charnoski said in a video he recorded while evaluating the exterior of the home. "This is new... this whole collapse, all of this is beginning to buckle."

It's a precarious situation for Charnoski and his girlfriend, who live on a narrow hillside above Laurel Canyon, off Lookout Mountain.

As the storm moved in earlier this week, they knew there was a risk.

"This is a little bit more than usual. There's quite a bit of debris that's coming down off the hillsides," he said.

They're worried the morning rain will keep moving the property, and they're also concerned about the road leading to their home.

Charnoski said he could hear his home cracking and moving.

"I've never experienced my house sliding down a hill before, but that comes with living in the canyon in California," he said.

The city was also aware of the risk and sent crews Wednesday to place concrete barriers along the road below the hillside.

It was a great protection for passing drivers, but for Charnoski, it won't do much to save the place he calls home if the rain keeps falling and the ground keeps moving.

"What the barriers are gonna be catching is the land that sits beneath our house."

Charnoski does not own the home and his biggest question now is who will handle the damage - his landlord? The city?

Charnoski said he reached out to his landlord and the city for help, but he hasn't heard back.

A spokesperson for the L.A. public works department told Eyewitness News the agency is not responsible for hillsides or private property.

With more rain possible throughout the day, Charnoski said they'll likely leave for the night and stay elsewhere.