The resident of a cliff-side home in California faces the reality that his backyard could fall off a cliff any day.
Alan Ashavi, 66, says he grows more nervous every day about his property, which succumbed to the atmospheric rivers that pounded California earlier this month.
Last year, some of Ashavi's neighbors in San Clemente saw their backyards collapse into the sea as the land beneath them eroded.
Ashavi was able to avoid this fate last rainy season, but he wasn't so lucky this year.
Homeowner Alan Ashavi in San Clemente, California, laments the storms that could ultimately send his cliff-side property plunging into the sea
Earlier this month, an atmospheric river caused a landslide beneath his million-dollar estate, bringing his pool to the brink of collapse.
An aerial view of a remaining pool on the edge of a hillside landslide caused by heavy rainfall that resulted in four oceanfront residential buildings being evacuated and closed due to unstable conditions, March 16, 2023 in San Clemente, California
Aerial footage shows the aftermath of cliff collapse following extreme weather in Southern California that threatens homes worth millions of dollars
Earlier this month, an atmospheric river caused a landslide beneath his million-dollar estate, bringing his pool to the brink of collapse.
“You deal with it every day and come here and check every day or sometimes every hour,” Ashavi told Portal, calling the ordeal “nerve-wracking.”
“I know this is an El Nino year in terms of rain, so in the back of my mind I was thinking about getting involved in the construction,” he added.
Over the past two months, storms have hit California with heavy rains and incredibly strong winds.
The weather system they were involved in was called the Pineapple Express. This ultimately led Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency in eight counties, affecting more than 20 million residents.
Flash flood warnings have been issued at various times for parts of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, where mudslides have become an increasing threat over the past decade.
Luxury properties are on the brink of collapse as cliffside homeowners watch their neighbors lose terraces falling into the sea.
A University of California, Irvine professor says erosion could soon shift inland in significant ways.
“We have these atmospheric rivers that come from the oceans that drop the rain here on these hills and then the hills start to erode as well,” said climate professor Kathleen Treseder.
“So not only do we have this erosion here from the waves, but also inland caused by the rainfall.”
“We have many, many multimillion-dollar homes all along this coast that will fall into the ocean,” she said.
A University of California, Irvine professor says erosion could soon shift inland in significant ways
SAN Clemente, Calif. (AP) — Aerial photos show the aftermath of cliff collapse following extreme weather in Southern California that threatened millions of dollars' worth of homes earlier this month
“We have many, many multimillion-dollar homes all along this coast that are going to fall into the sea,” said a UCI professor
Landslides along oceanfront bluffs in San Clemente recently led to the closure of the city's beach trails.
Stairs leading to the coastal path at Dije Court, El Portal and Lasuens Beach were added to the list of closed access points this month due to ongoing instability in the area.
After each storm, engineers continue to assess and reassess the structural integrity of coastal properties.
In Dana Point, an affluent Orange County enclave about 10 minutes' drive north of San Clemente, three stunning mansions sit precariously on the edge of a cliff after a landslide earlier this month.
Each of the villas – each more stunning and expensive than the last – is now in danger of falling into the Pacific.
Residents of the affected properties, priced at $12.8 million, $13 million and $15.9 million respectively, have been advised to remain vigilant and prepare for the looming possibility of relocation.
Three multimillion-dollar homes in Southern California are perilously perched on the edge of a cliff after a landslide in February
The collapse occurred on Scenic Drive in Dana Point, with mud and debris sliding hundreds of feet down the cliff
The landslide caused a large portion of the cliff to collapse to the base of the area's most expensive home, a $15.9 million, four-bedroom villa reported by local radiologist, 82-year-old Lewis Bruggeman
Missing rock wall slid right next to $12.8 million home (pictured)