Daniel Wolfram
A lot of people had to evacute after a sinkhole swallowed the famous actor’s driveway.
Emergency crews rushed to a gated Malibu neighborhood early Tuesday morning.
A massive sinkhole had swallowed the driveway of an oceanfront compound owned by Oscar-winning actor Nicolas Cage.
The sinkhole quickly stretched to 60 feet wide and 25 feet deep. It severed the private access road, leaving surrounding properties perched on a crumbling cliff.
City officials declared a local emergency and ordered occupants from 31 nearby homes to evacuate. Seven houses were tagged as unsafe, while another 24 lost all vehicular access.
Municipal authorities highlighted the immediate danger in an official statement. “Emergency personnel access is severely constrained and may be impassable, due to the large portion of the road that has collapsed,” the city wrote in the emergency declaration. “The intact portion of the roadway is too narrow to accommodate emergency response vehicles, including fire engines and other large apparatus, creating a substantial risk to public safety and emergency response capabilities.”
Waiting for repairs
Crews moved quickly to prevent further damage. Gas lines were shut off after workers found a leak, and water mains were cut to prevent major breaks under the unstable dirt.
A shelter opened at Malibu High School, while homeowners scrambled for repair permits. City Manager Joseph Irvin noted that clearing debris and securing approvals will take days.
“The construction timeline is estimated to be approximately four weeks,” he added to the LA Times. “So the ingress and egress to Sea Level Drive will be evaluated throughout that process and as soon as it’s deemed to be safe for residents to return, we will make sure they’re aware of that and share that with all interested persons.”
The cyclone Marie threatens
The sinkhole comes at an unfortunate time, as heavy rain and high tides from Post-Tropical Cyclone Marie threaten to wash away more land.
Local officials view the disaster as part of a broader environmental threat across the region. “I don’t think this is a single, isolated event for Malibu,” Irvin said. “We’re seeing this kind of coastal erosion impact happening up and down the Southern California coastal region. With the high tides, El Niño-type weather and sea level rise, this is something that is going to keep happening.”
