Nearly 80 homes in Rancho Palos Verdes will have their power restored by Southern California Edison by March 31 after substantial land movement in the city caused the company to shut off power to more than 200 homes last year.
More than 200 homes have lost power, according to SCE, since August of last year with a few a few dozen being restored in October. The shutoff of electricity and natural gas by SoCalGas came in response to land movement caused by heavy rains in recent winters.
Select portions of the Portuguese Bend Beach Club and Seaview neighborhoods will have their power restored, according to a statement from the city of Rancho Palos Verdes on Jan. 15.
But the restoration of power does not include the Portuguese Bend Community Association neighborhood.
Property owners will be required to “undergo electrical and structural property inspections” by the city and “obtain a permit for any self-generation installed, including solar, battery storage, and gas-powered generators,” according to the release.
Red-tagged homes are not eligible for power restoration, according to the press release.
In November, 85 property owners applied for the $42 million Property Buyout Program, being operated in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
Of those properties, 20 were deemed red-tagged.
While residential properties were hit hard with the “unprecedented” land movement, Wayfarers Chapel was a victim and had to be dismantled and and is still searching for a new home, Palos Verdes Drive South is in continuous repair and the city lost miles of popular hiking trails.
Rancho has a long history of land movement, but recently came to national attention because of the severe movement in some areas of the landslide area.
President-elect Donald J. Trump visited the site and his golf course in September for a press conference during which residents and local councilmembers brought the issue to the forefront.
But after months of bad news, the city has received some glimmers of hope recently.
City-hired geologist Mike Phipps in recent months has given reports that while the land movement has not stopped, it has slowed considerably due to a very dry winter so far.
Installation of 10 dewatering wells last year has been very productive in slowing the land movement as well, Phipps has said.
In a Jan. 13 update to RPV customers, SCE said “we have enhanced our monitoring of ground conditions.”
“Although the data shows that land movement has slowed in some areas, restoring power depends on several factors, including the ongoing rate and pattern of land movement, infrastructure conditions and favorable weather conditions that reduce wildfire risk,” said the update.
“As we prepare to safely restore power in select portions of the Beach Club and Seaview areas of Rancho Palos Verdes, our crews will inspect our infrastructure and repair or replace equipment, which may involve heavy machinery and construction,” the statement added.
Residents can schedule an inspection and apply for city permits by call the Building and Safety Division at (310) 544-5280, or emailing buildingsafety@rpvca.gov.
Other information can be found at sce.com/rpv.