Landslide damages
California neighborhood
By Lizzie MacPherson
A landslide wrecked a chunk of a hilltop La Jolla neighborhood Wednesday, damaging six multimillion dollar homes and destroying a three-lane road.
The collapse knocked out power lines and caused a 20-foot-deep ravine to open underneath the neighborhood. La Jolla officials ordered more than 100 homes evacuated following the incident.
Authorities had been warning neighborhood residents about a possible avalanche for more than two weeks before the land gave way. Seven people were inside the affected homes when the avalanche occurred, but no one was injured.
La Jolla Mayor Jerry Sanders declared the city in a state of emergency, asking that neighboring communities and the state of California support the La Jolla community as it recovers from the tragedy.
Produced by Washington and Lee journalism students.
Lead supervisor: Prof. Claudette Artwick
Reporting supervisors:
Technical supervisor: Michael Todd