Posted on 02/09/2017 10:33:29 PM PST by nickcarraway
A homeowner in Orinda on Thursday described the terrifying experience of having a massive mudslide come crashing through his house, leaving it damaged to the point where county officials red-tagged it.
When it happened last Tuesday morning, Orinda resident Paul Vittimberga thought he was hearing a different storm-related sound outside his house on Van Tassel Lane.
“I thought it was thunder at first,” Vittimberga.
He remained remarkably calm when the slide initially hit. He said while it was small at first, the slide quickly became far bigger.
“Then there was a much larger slide that came through the office. I was hiding in the bathroom, in the back of it and I realized that I might get pinned there!” exclaimed Vittimberga. “No window or anyway to get out so I just went ahead and ran right over the slide and out the door.”
No one was hurt, but the rear of the house is crushed. The slide was massive, measuring several hundred yards high and hundreds of feet wide. And the mass of earth is still moving.
Contra Costa County officials red tagged the home Thursday. Now no one is allowed to enter.
“A hard disk with all my kid’s photos on it is unfortunately under tons of rock,” said Vittimberga.
His neighbors were stunned.
“Never seen it actively move like it has today,” said one of them.
Across town, another storm-related problem continues to plague Orinda. Miner Road was closed on January 11th by a major sinkhole.
The same stream that caused the sinkhole backed up again this week, flooding several feet deep into a nearby home. The owner too distraught to talk on camera about the damage.
Crews used excavators to clear the channel to alleviate the flooding, but Miner Road will remained closed for weeks, though Orinda officials had some good news for residents near the sinkhole.
“We also waiting for a break in the weather and hope to begin work on the project within the next few days,” said Orinda City Manager Janet Keeter.
Work at Vittimberga’s house will not be so quick, but he remains positive.
As he was leaving the site, he told KPIX 5 that once the debris is removed and the place dries out, he would have no problem moving back in.
What do houses go for in that area?
Orinda is mostly expensive.
Orinda? Upwards of a Million easy peasy...
That second house that was flooded was very nice.
VERY expensive. My husband and I have some family members who live there. Hubby grew up there (many years ago) when it wasn’t so pricey.
Yes, that second house in the video was really nice. My guess, based on the quick glimpse of it: Probably somewhere between $1-3 million.
The same house in Dallas/Ft Worth? Maybe $500,000, if that.
Can’t you hear the thunder? You better run, you better take cover.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jHXu86O01w
Well, they do have eucalyptus trees in Orinda..
: ) Well played (I did not know that...never heard of the place). Thanks for posting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SADmPjewrls
(I drank some mudslides while vacationing once in the Caribbean)
It would be horrific to lose your home in a mudslide (or earthquake).
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION v risk assessment
Eucalyptus trees are considered a "weed tree" in California; however, that upper hillside was totally devoid of trees.
What do houses go for in that area?
They achieve about 1 MPH. ;)
The Oakland Hills Fire that destroyed hundreds of homes almost spread to Orinda, iirc.
Eucalyptus trees did that, sorta.
Loved the incredulity on the reporter's face as he was delivering this line on camera after looking at the slide of mud and rocks still coming down the hill into the rear of the house.
On the current market? Millions
The Bay Area suffers from too many people wanting to live there. Real estate pricing has always been considerably higher than most places in the country
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