Dramatic drone photos of San Clemente landslide - Los Angeles Times
Advertisement

Dramatic drone photos show where land gave way under cliffside residences in San Clemente

An aerial view of a backyard.
Several San Clemente buildings were yellow-tagged after the slide Wednesday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Share via

Four San Clemente buildings were red-tagged Wednesday after a landslide that followed heavy rains.

The Orange County Fire Authority evacuated three apartment buildings Wednesday morning due to the slide in the 1500 block of Buena Vista.

A fourth building was evacuated by Wednesday afternoon.

An aerial view of a hillside, homes and railroad tracks extending into the distance.
Some residences suffered extensive damage.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Buena Vista was closed to traffic, as was a trail that sits below the residences.

Footage posted on Twitter by the Orange County Fire Authority showed extensive damage to the rear of the residences, with patio furniture strewn on the hillside.

Advertisement

Some of the units were initially yellow-tagged, meaning they were damaged but still accessible to residents, before they were red-tagged over concerns that the hillside still is not settled, San Clemente Mayor Chris Duncan said.

Four buildings in San Clemente have been deemed unsafe after heavy rains caused a massive landslide along the coast Wednesday, forcing many evacuations.

March 16, 2023

No injuries were reported.

Clayton Robinson told KABC-TV, however, that he may have lost everything in the slide.

“We called our insurance and they said, well, they don’t cover hills going down,” Robinson told the station. “So all we have left is our faith in God.”

A pool was mostly drained to prevent more movement after four cliff-side, ocean-view apartment buildings were evacuated
A pool was mostly drained to prevent more movement after four cliff-side, ocean-view apartment buildings were evacuated in San Clemente Wednesday after a landslide.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
An overhead aerial view of homes on a cliff, a section where the land has given way,  and ocean.
An overhead aerial view of Wednesday’s slide.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
An aerial view of four cliff-side, ocean-view apartment buildings that were evacuated and tagged after heavy rains
An aerial view of four cliff-side, ocean-view apartment buildings that were evacuated and tagged after heavy rains brought on a landslide in San Clemente.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Advertisement
Officials help evacuate people from one of four cliff-side, ocean-view apartment buildings that were tagged
Officials help evacuate people from one of four cliff-side, ocean-view apartment buildings that were tagged after heavy rains brought on a landslide in San Clemente.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Advertisement