He doesn't budge: Lewis Bruggeman, an 82-year-old American radiologist, does not want to leave his home, located in the town of Dana Point in the United States.
However, for several days, his house, estimated at 15.9 million dollars (14.66 million euros), has been on the verge of emptying.
Part of the cliff has collapsed, due to historic storms that hit California earlier this month, causing a massive landslide.
“Very significant work is going to be necessary to stabilize this property,”
Kyle Tourjé, executive vice president of Alpha Structural, an engineering firm in Los Angeles, told the
Washington Post
.
After two consecutive years marked by major floods, these homes cannot withstand this type of shock.”
The fault is the
“Pineapple Express”,
a rapid circulation of tropical water vapor from Hawaii, which had already largely affected the West Coast of the United States last year.
The owner of the luxurious villa, however, told local television channel KCAL News that his property was
“not threatened”
and that he was
“fine”
.
The municipality of the small coastal town confirmed its assertion via its chief of staff to the mayor, Mike Killebrew, who affirms
that “there is no imminent threat to this house”
“Engineers inspected the house and said there was no damage. There is also no imminent threat to the structure
,” rejoiced the mayor, Jamey Federico, in comments relayed by the Washington Post.
Torrential rain
The octogenarian is not the only resident of the very chic Orange County to have suffered the future consequences of the torrential rains: two other residences on the Pacific coast, estimated at around 13 million dollars, are also threatened.
The fears of the three owners are probably not over: the National Weather Service has warned of the arrival of more bad weather next week in the Los Angeles area.
The rains at the beginning of February caused at least nine deaths and considerable material damage in the Los Angeles region.
The governor of the American state, Gavin Newsom, even declared a state of emergency.