Multimillion-dollar oceanfront properties in Southern California's Dana Point are considered safe to live in, even though a landslide a few weeks ago washed away most of the bluff beneath the homes.
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In February, historic storms flooded the Golden State, leaving homes in the town of Dana Point, near Laguna Beach, in a precarious situation.
These could fall into the Pacific Ocean at any time.
NEW: The owner of a $16 million California mansion about to fall into the sea is refusing to leave his home.
Lewis Bruggeman, 82, says his house is “fine” and is not worried about it falling into the sea after a recent storm eroded the cliffs.
“The house… pic.twitter.com/JwLJjAyp37
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 25, 2024
The major coastal resort's most expensive home is a $15.9 million four-bedroom mansion that belonged to 82-year-old radiology doctor Lewis Bruggeman.
“Screenshot X / CBS News”
“The house is fine, it is not threatened,” he told news station KCAL.
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He added, “The city agrees that there are no major structural issues with the home.”
A geotechnical engineer and building inspector had visited one of the three mansions – the furthest from the edge – and determined there was “no imminent threat,” according to CBS.
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He went to the scene of the accident to “assess the situation and speak to the owner of the residence and the descent where the fall occurred,” he told CBS News.
The Dana Point cliff collapse followed heavy rains in Southern California in early February that caused landslides and flooding in the region.
Video footage from helicopters showed that one of the houses on the cliff appeared to be partially suspended in the air and the other two appeared to be dangerously close to the edge.
At the foot of the cliff, under the villas, a huge pile of earth, sand and stones has formed.
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Real estate firm Redfin estimates the three adjacent homes are worth about $15.9 million, $14.1 million and $12.9 million, respectively.
Although experts have certified these Dana Point properties as safe, additional work will need to be done to withstand future storms.
“Significant work is required to stabilize this property,” Kyle Tourjé, vice president of Alpha Structural, an engineering firm, told The Washington Post.
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“I think we will continue to see more damage. With two consecutive years of high occupancy, these properties simply cannot withstand a blow like this.”
The powerful storms that hit California are called “Pineapple Expresses,” causing incessant rains to lash the Southwest.
Some deaths were reported and hundreds of thousands of homes lost power.