Eroding cliff prompts Pacifica evacuation
Thursday, December 17, 2009
(12-17) 11:21 PST PACIFICA -- A Pacifica apartment building on a bluff overlooking the ocean was ordered evacuated immediately today because the cliff is rapidly eroding, city officials said.
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Tenants in the 12-unit building at 330 Esplanade Drive were told just before 11 a.m. that they had only minutes to grab whatever they could and leave.
Hours earlier, officials said residents had until 5 p.m. to clear out of the two-story building. That directive came after a large chunk of the bluff fell into the ocean at 5:30 a.m.
Then, at midmorning, another large section slid into the sea.
"We just lost a significant chunk of cliff. They've got to go now," said Doug Rider, Pacifica's chief building official.
That prompted a mad scramble by some 20 residents, who ran up and down stairs to get their things.
Randall Nelson, the manager of the building who has lived there for 14 years, said, "We live here because we love the ocean, but nothing lasts forever." Nelson said he'd be moving in with his in-laws.
The bluff underneath the building has been eroding for some time, but recent storms have made the situation worse, residents said.
Paul Wells, 47, said he moved in less than a month ago from Redwood City.
"I pretty much got entirely unpacked, just in time to be told it was time to start packing again," Wells said. "Of course I'm frustrated. I'm still in some degree of shock. I know that once the shock wears off, I'm going to feel a lot more anger."
Wells added, "This was my first foray into Pacifica. I've always wanted to live here."
Pacifica residents have long dealt with the challenges of living on the seaside bluffs.
In 1998, seven homes on Esplanade Drive were demolished after El Niño-powered storms ate away at the cliff upon which they stood.
Nearly all the shoreline in Pacifica is soft, compacted sand, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The weak soil, the direct attack of waves and the saturation from rainwater make the area especially susceptible to erosion.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/17/BA601B5QLH.DTL&tsp=1#ixzz0ZyatNkRd
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