House collapses into the Pacific, billionaire owner refuses to leave
Earlier this year, a winter storm hit the small coastal town of Dana Point in California, causing a chunk of a cliff to collapse into the ocean. The spectacle is breathtaking, with luxury villas now on the edge of the void…
At the end of February, south of Los Angeles, torrential rains caused a terrible landslide. Three residences estimated to be worth several million dollars are now almost hanging in the void. Nevertheless, and surprisingly, the luxury villas are still habitable. “Authorities and engineers have assured the owners that their homes will not end up below, in the Pacific,” reports Le Soir.
Kyle Tourjé, executive vice president of Alpha Structural (an engineering firm in Los Angeles), nevertheless confided his concern to the Washington Post, indicating that these properties, after two years of major flooding, could “not withstand this kind of shock for much longer.”
No imminent threat
One of the owners, Lewis Bruggeman, whose luxury villa is estimated at $16 million, refuses, despite Tourjé’s warning, to leave his home. He explains: “the city agrees that there are no major structural problems with the house.” These comments are confirmed by Mike Killebrew, Dana Point’s city manager.
(MH with AsD - Source: Le Soir/Le Parisien - Illustration: Unsplash)