A STARK REMINDER HILLSIDE STILL BEARS MARK OF MUDSLIDE.Byline: SUSAN ABRAM Staff Writer WEST HILLS -- Each time the gray clouds gather, the residents on Malden Street remember how the houses came down. And each time they remember the landslide landslide, rapid slipping of a mass of earth or rock from a higher elevation to a lower level under the influence of gravity and water lubrication. More specifically, rockslides are the rapid downhill movement of large masses of rock with little or no hydraulic flow, that took those houses down, they wonder whether the vacant hillside will ever look complete. ``We think it could use a few more plants,'' said Carole Julian, who lives next to what is now a fenced-off lot. ``We didn't want it to be a park, but we did want it to look better.'' Nine years ago, heavy El Nino storms dumped rain and misery on Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , triggering landslides that wiped out three homes in the 22300 block of Malden and Napa streets. The houses were red-tagged and ultimately razed raze also rase tr.v. razed also rased, raz·ing also ras·ing, raz·es also ras·es 1. To level to the ground; demolish. See Synonyms at ruin. 2. To scrape or shave off. 3. , leaving a vacant lot as glaring as a lost tooth in an otherwise full smile. The land had been deemed unstable by the city, which bought the lots and some of the neighboring neigh·bor n. 1. One who lives near or next to another. 2. A person, place, or thing adjacent to or located near another. 3. A fellow human. 4. Used as a form of familiar address. v. homes. And after six years of complaints by frustrated frus·trate tr.v. frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing, frus·trates 1. a. To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart: and angry residents, the city stabilized the land, installed an irrigation irrigation, in agriculture, artificial watering of the land. Although used chiefly in regions with annual rainfall of less than 20 in. (51 cm), it is also used in wetter areas to grow certain crops, e.g., rice. system, planted a hodge- podge n. 1. A puddle; a plash. 2. Porridge. of young oak and pepper trees and erected a chain-link fence around the area. ``It's basically done,'' said Lance Oishi, contract administrator for the city's Bureau of Street Services. ``We've gone back and planted a second time after there was some vandalism. ``We did everything called for in the engineer's plan.'' A wooden fence was also erected between the Julians' property and the lot, but it collapsed during a recent storm, giving way to rot and moisture. A city inspector was in the area Monday to check the damage. While some residents say city crews have been vigilant with weeding the property and keeping it cleared of litter, they say the appearance of their neighborhood is marred by the dirt hillside. They wish there could be some sort of landscaping or ground cover to help erase the memories of the early morning of Feb. 13, 1998, when three families lost their homes. ``We don't want to be negative,'' said Jo Padden, who has lived on Malden Street for 41 years, ``but it would be so nice if we could see cascades of color not of the white race; - commonly meaning, esp. in the United States, of negro blood, pure or mixed. See also: Color .'' susan.abram(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3664 CAPTION(S): 4 photos, map Photo: (1 -- 2 -- color) Carole and Frank Julian's Malden Street home sits beside a mudslide-damaged area in West Hills. In 1998, mudslides took down a hillside, right, and left an eyesore eye·sore n. Something, such as a distressed building, that is unpleasant or offensive to view. eyesore Noun something very ugly Noun 1. behind. The city put up a wooden fence between the Julians' home and the property, but the wooden fence rotted and recently collapsed. Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer (3 -- color) Frank Julian shows the damage inside his house in 1998 after a tree came through the wall during the mudslides. His house now sits next to an unattractive vacant lot. Daily News (4 -- color) A TV cameraman shoots what's left of two cars in 1998 after the mudslide crunched the garage down on them. Residents say their neighborhood is marred by the dirt hillside the mudslides left behind. Map: Site of Feb. 13, 1998 mudslides Daily News |
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