Rolling Hills Estates landslide victims get sliver of home as workers recover personal items

It was the heartbreak before the storm.

A dozen anxious Rolling Hills Estates homeowners stood by on Saturday, Aug. 19, crossing their collective fingers, willing search-and-rescue workers to salvage crucial documents, priceless heirlooms, irreplaceable memories.

Six weeks earlier, Peartree Lane residents had 20 minutes to grab what they could before 10 homes slid toward a ravine.

Then, on Saturday, the eve of history-making tropical storm headed for the coast of Southern California, they gathered near the cliffs as search-and-rescue teams attempted to retrieve what was left of their property.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Urban Search and Rescue Team was deployed Saturday to remove as much hazardous material from the destroyed homes as they could before heavy rains potentially washed it away, causing potential environmental damage. But they also went into the homes to retrieve personal items.

The quick response was appreciated by Peartree Lane victims.

April Zee — whose home is one of two still standing, but also red-tagged properties — said county workers put tarps up on Saturday on the exposed portions of her house to keep the rain out.

How much more can the community take, she wondered aloud? First the landslide, then the stress of worrying about a history-making hurricane-turned-tropical storm on the West Coast?

“We were really stressing out after the rains,” she said.

But on Monday morning, her husband went over to check. Their home is still standing, she said.

Weeks ago, the Zees were allowed four hours to enter their home and recover whatever they could of sentimental value, she said.

Other families have not been as lucky, which is what made Saturday’s USAR mission so crucial.

USAR was tasked with salvaging a bit of humanity for Peartree Lane residents. Find them a slice of home, a tangible bit of memory.

The landslide victims compiled a wish list ahead of time, said Esteban Garcia, a spokesperson for LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn: Find my passport. My great grandmother’s portrait. My daughter’s framed grade-school painting. My wedding album. Anything from my sports memorabilia collection.

USAR did what it could.

They gingerly combed through the debris of homes while structural engineers and Los Angeles County Public Works Department officials evaluated land movement in real time to ensure the structures were safe to enter, according to Hahn, who was on site herself through much of Saturday.

In one home, they found heirloom silverware. That had been on a list, according to one homeowner.

In another, they found a small lacquered Chinese dresser that had been passed down in the family. There were framed photos and artwork, a small desk and some soccer balls, seemingly signed by children in kanji congratulating a peer.

Officials said they thought the closure with landslide victims was important.

“One of my top priorities has been helping these residents as they recover from this unimaginable loss,” Hahn wrote in a Monday email. “Reuniting them with treasured belongings and important documents is one more way we are supporting them.”

The USAR teams started work on the homes that were easiest to get into first, said Peartree Lane homeowner Randy Troy.

At the end of the day, they reached the final home, where Troy, his wife, Rina, and their son lived for 10 years before nature took it.

At this point, Troy said by phone on Monday, it all seems futile. He’s resigned, tired and trying to make light of a horrific experience.

“I did win the lottery,” Troy quipped. “My house is the worst of them.”

The USAR team told him his home’s foundation is completely gone, with levels of the home “pretzeled” upon itself, Troy said.

“The only way get access to any room in my home is to do demolition,” Troy said.

And, that, he added, would be incredibly expensive. He doesn’t know who would pay for it. Likely, he said, a combination of himself and the Rolling Hills Park Villas Community Association — the neighborhood’s homeowner’s association.

A firefighter who entered what was left of his home sent him a video clip, Troy said. It shows cracks in between collapsed walls where you can see his wife’s clothing, for example, but no way to access it. There are also instances where the force of the land movement had thrown debris against a door, with no way to safely open it.

Troy, an avid sports memorabilia collector, said he almost felt as if this was the last straw. The 10-minute video from the firefighter showed just how futile the whole thing is, he said. It’s like a final verdict.

“If we’re going to get anything else, it’s going to be lots of funds expended,” Troy said.

Perhaps, he added, they can pay to have the roof removed before demolition begins and get in that way.

Still, there were a few items recovered from Troy’s pancaked residence on 10 Peartree Lane.

Right before the Earth moved, he had hung some clothing in the front foyer to take to the dry cleaner.

The firefighter who entered his home Saturday brought him that dry cleaning.

Four shirts. And, best of all, a beloved USC letterman’s jacket from his collection.

Troy, at last, could drop off his dry cleaning. Just in time for football season.

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