California landslide appears to leave 3 multimillion-dollar homes teetering on edge of cliff

(LOS ANGELES) — Officials in Southern California are concerned about three multimillion-dollar homes teetering on the edge of a cliff following multiple rounds of severe storms that triggered a large landslide.

Three homes on Scenic Drive in Dana Point, California, about 60 miles south of Los Angeles, are seemingly closer to the ridge of the steep cliff after a large chunk of dirt and rock sheared off amid the heavy rains, as shown by drone video taken in the region. The video also shows a pile of rock and dirt that cascaded down the cliffside piled on the beach below.

There is no immediate threat to the properties, officials told ABC Los Angeles station KABC following an inspection. One of the homeowners, who did not wish to be identified, told the station that his home is secure and has not been red-tagged by the city as too dangerous to occupy.

On Feb. 6, evacuations were ordered in Isla Vista in Santa Barbara County after a storm caused cliff erosion. The severe weather caused balconies to collapse on four oceanview apartments, the Santa Barbara Independent reported.

A forecast for even more rain could increase the level of concern for homes in Dana Point. Some coastal California areas could see up to 10 inches of rain in the next week, forecasts show.

Global warming can cause extreme rainfall events to become more frequent and severe, according to climate scientists. Combined with sea level rise, climate change is causing coastal erosion and transforming coastlines all over the world, researchers said.

“So it’s really important that we track these events and understand how our coast is changing over time,” Adam Young, researcher at the University of California, San Diego’s Coastal Processes Group, told ABC News.

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