Eroding cliff prompts Pacifica evacuation

SF Gate: Justin Berton, Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writers - Thursday, December 17, 2009


A Pacifica apartment building on a bluff overlooking the ocean was ordered evacuated today because the cliff is rapidly eroding, city officials said.

Tenants in the 12-unit building at 330 Esplanade Drive were told just before 11 a.m. that they had only minutes to leave, prompting a mad dash by the 20 or so residents to save whatever they could.

Then, a few minutes later, officials decided the tenants could safely remove possessions until 3 p.m.
  

Early this morning, officials said residents had until 5 p.m. to clear out of the two-story building, which was built in 1961. That directive came after a large chunk of the bluff fell into the ocean at 5:30 a.m.

Then, at midmorning, another large section slid into the sea.

"We just lost a significant chunk of cliff. They've got to go now," said Doug Rider, Pacifica's chief building official.

Randall Nelson, the manager of the building who has lived there for 14 years, said, "We live here because we love the ocean, but nothing lasts forever." Nelson said he'd be moving in with his in-laws.

The bluff underneath the building has been eroding for some time, but recently the situation has grown much worse, officials said. The building has lost 40 feet of land over the last year. Of that amount, 15 feet was lost in recent days, officials said.

Paul Wells, 47, said he moved in less than a month ago from Redwood City.

"I pretty much got entirely unpacked, just in time to be told it was time to start packing again," Wells said. "Of course I'm frustrated. I'm still in some degree of shock. I know that once the shock wears off, I'm going to feel a lot more anger." Wells added, "This was my first foray into Pacifica. I've always wanted to live here."

Pacifica residents have long dealt with the challenges of living on the seaside bluffs.

In 1998, seven homes on Esplanade Drive were demolished after El Niño-powered storms ate away at the cliff upon which they stood.

Nearly all the shoreline in Pacifica is soft, compacted sand, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The weak soil, the direct attack of waves and the saturation from rainwater make the area especially susceptible to erosion.
  

E-mail the writers at jberton@sfchronicle.com and hlee@sfchronicle.com.