More Than Two Years After Losing Homes, Families Still Waging A War
All the families that lost their properties due to landslide damage two years ago are still fighting to recover the damages. About 42.61 inches of rainfall that was recorded during the winter of 2004-05, resulted in massive mudslides and landslides in several areas of South California. This was the second heaviest rainfall in the entire history of the state. Many families lost their homes due to these mudslides in areas like Hollywood Hill, Anaheim, Yorba Linda, Pomona, San Clemente and Laguna Beach. These families could not even get the insurance amount on the damage since none of the Standard Homeowner Insurance Policies cover the damages incurred due to landslides.
The major impact of the damage has been on the financial situation of the families. Many of these are having a feeling of being dislocated and financially ruincd. The only hope for some of the home owners in Ponoma City is the law suit that they filed against the city and the local developers.
Earlier, these homeowners registered a legal claim against the City of Ponoma stating that the land that had slid was the property of the city and that the city must pay for these damages. However, this plea was eventually rejected.
According to Irvine attorney, Michael Hearn, who represents the homeowners, the land slope behind the homes is an old and inactive one which should have been properly repaired by the developer before initiating the construction.
But, Anaheim lawyer Robert Gokoo, who represents the city, has an entirely different argument. According to him, it was the land beneath the homeowners’ property that had slid and it was definitely not initiated due to the land slope that belonged to the city.
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