Malibu Residents Defy Slides
Most residents of 16 apartments in a Malibu rock slide zone Thursday defied a county engineer’s evacuation notice issued after a consultant said there may be more slippage that could damage their homes.
Deputy County Engineer Carroll Smith said the duplexes on the seaward side of the 20400 block of Pacific Coast Highway were posted Wednesday, after letters were sent to the occupants informing them that the structures were unsafe and should not be entered.
California Department of Transportation crews had been standing by since several hundred tons of rock and dirt fell early Sunday, blocking the highway for 12 hours. Smith said consultant Dennis Evans told the county that further slides could develop rapidly, covering the entire road and possibly endangering homes.
Occupants of two of the units reportedly had moved out by Thursday night and the others decided at a meeting that they would appeal the order.
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