4 Families in Rowland Heights Landslide Area Go Home

Almost three weeks after a landslide threatened to crash through their living rooms, four Rowland Heights families returned to their homes with the assurances of county geologists that the earth had stabilized.

Last month, the slide had crept into the back yards on Morning Sun Avenue, forcing residents to evacuate.

The movement caused part of a street to buckle, twisted fences and sent dirt and debris into hot tubs.

“It has stabilized to a point where it is safe for them to return,” said Donna Guyovich, a spokeswoman for the county Department of Public Works.

“We have determined that there is no immediate threat to life.”

On Friday, earthmovers and bulldozers continued to remove dirt from the top of the 100-foot hill in an effort to reduce the downward pressure of the slope.

Geologists are devising a plan to grade the hillside so it forms steps, which could help prevent future slides, said Ron Hockwalt, superintendent of Walnut Valley Unified School District, which owns the land.

Residents were told Tuesday that they could return to their homes. Still, homeowners were warned that they could be forced out again should there be more movement.

“We’re more hopeful,” said Keisha Mauge, 19, a live-in baby-sitter at one of the homes. “We were thinking of moving.”

Mauge, who lives with Gail and Abraham Esfahaniha and their two children, spent more than two weeks living with the family at a nearby Holiday Inn Express.

Other families stayed with friends and relatives.

After moving back in, Mauge and the Esfahanihas spent the week getting the carpets steam-cleaned, and they moved appliances, furniture and personal possessions to the dining room, bedroom and kitchen.

Although their patio has been cleared of almost five feet of dirt, they still have no back yard.

“We would play volleyball, soccer,” Mauge said, standing on the patio before the barren hillside, which had been covered by lush vegetation.

“Now we can’t play anymore.”

Some homeowners have blamed the school district for the hill’s collapse.

In November, contractors for the district began moving 1 million tons of dirt to make room for a new school nearby.

The hill, which is in Diamond Bar, has been sliding since then, homeowners said.

Geology reports, however, said the slide was caused by the winter’s saturating rains.