Living on the Edge in California

Few places are as enjoyable as the headlands in Dana Point, where ocean waves lap rhythmically at the coastline and, on a clear day, the outline of Santa Catalina Island emerges from the Pacific Ocean, the silhouette of a bold sentry in the distance.

I walked the headlands trail last week, not only to soak up the beauty that has drawn so many of us to California, but also to get a glimpse of three houses perched on the edge of a cliff off Scenic Drive. A round of storms had sent rocks and dirt cascading down the cliff there, seemingly weakening the ground beneath those residences.

Increasingly severe winter storms have led to erosion, flooding and mudslides in many parts of the state as the soil has become saturated with water. Two weeks ago, heavy rain from an intense atmospheric river sent mud oozing through some hillside neighborhoods in Los Angeles, severely damaging homes and forcing evacuations.

Residents were anxious once again over the holiday weekend as another atmospheric river blew in from the Pacific. The storm system brought heavy rain on Monday to the southern part of the state, as well as severe thunderstorms and wind gusts to the Bay Area and warnings from forecasters about flooding, hail and possible tornadoes.

The Dana Point houses in Orange County drew particular attention after The Los Angeles Times and several TV stations obtained drone footage of their seemingly precarious situation. City officials and two Scenic Drive residents told me this week that the mansions remained structurally sound. “We’re absolutely fine,” one resident, Lewis Bruggeman, said through the speaker at the gate outside his home.

Still, the literal edge between beauty and peril on the coast seemed clear to people passing by. “Evidently, Mother Nature has kind of taken over on this one,” said Roger Parsons, 73, who was on a hike with his wife, Laurie.