Mudslide displaces 9 in Pacific Palisades, as nearby residents fear impact of upcoming storm

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Monday, March 27, 2023
Mudslide displaces 9 in Pacific Palisades, including family of 8
A 20,000-square-foot piece of hillside slid into a Pacific Palisades house Sunday night, displacing nine, including a family of eight.

PACIFIC PALISADES, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A 20,000-square-foot piece of hillside slid into a Pacific Palisades house Sunday night, causing the evacuation of two homes and the yellow-tagging of two more.

The slide was reported at 7:50 p.m. at 949 N. Las Lomas Ave., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department's Nicholas Prange.

The event was described as a "slough off,'' which involves the uppermost layers of soil, Prange said.

Leon Faynsod, who was evacuated from his home of 50 years, said he first saw the mudslide rise to 18 inches, then to 2 feet, then 4 feet, before the LAFD told him to evacuate. He said when he left his home, the mudslide wasn't as bad as it is now.

"It's scary," Faynsod said. "I don't know what time it happened, because I was not here, but the last picture I took was at 7 o'clock last night, and it wasn't this bad."

A family of four adults and four children was also evacuated and went to stay with loved ones.

No injuries were reported.

Residents who have their homes in the area are waiting for geologists to come on scene to evaluate the land and assess the damage.

As for insurance claims for those already affected, it is unclear if they will get coverage.

Another reason for residents out of the mudslide's path so far to hope the incoming storm starting Tuesday does not cause the land to slide down further.

City News Service contributed to this report