Overview
- Responders who answered a suspected gas-main break discovered a collapsed driveway at the 31600 block of Sea Level Drive on Tuesday, and crews found a sinkhole that rapidly grew as surf and rain battered the shoreline.
- The City of Malibu declared a local emergency, red-tagged multiple homes and ordered evacuations that ultimately covered about 31 properties because the private road is now too narrow for large emergency vehicles.
- Southern California Gas Company shut off service after the collapse damaged a gas line and later said the leak was controlled while officials noted a broken water line and warned water shutoffs could follow if conditions worsen.
- The homeowners association, city crews and contractors began emergency stabilization work, including pouring concrete and placing boulders to plug a failed seawall and shore up the hole while engineers assess structural and utility risks.
- Officials attribute the collapse to coastal erosion driven by high surf and tides from Tropical Storm/Hurricane Marie and caution that a strong El Niño pattern could bring more storms that threaten further damage and longer displacements for residents.