Dramatic Photos Show Apartments Just Feet Away From Falling Into the Ocean

A local state of emergency has been declared in Pacifica, California.

ByABC News
January 26, 2016, 1:50 PM

— -- Residents of a California town have been forced to evacuate their apartments because they're on the verge of falling off a cliff.

Increased winds from El Nino have caused an estimated 20 feet of land near a bluff to fall into the ocean over the past two weeks.

PHOTO: A house stands on the edge of an eroding cliff with the Pacifica Pier in the background Jan. 25, 2016, in Pacifica, Calif.
A house stands on the edge of an eroding cliff with the Pacifica Pier in the background Jan. 25, 2016, in Pacifica, Calif.

Officials in Pacifica, California, have now deemed a group of apartments uninhabitable as a result of the situation, only allowing residents back into the homes to collect their belongings.

"Recent bluff failures have resulted in unsafe conditions for living space" at the apartments along Esplanade Avenue, chief building official Mike Cully said in a release shared.

PHOTO: Boulders shore up an eroding cliff below an apartment complex, Jan. 25, 2016, in Pacifica, Calif. Strong waves caused by El Nino storms ate away part of a sea wall and cliffs threatening several homes and an apartment building.
Boulders shore up an eroding cliff below an apartment complex, Jan. 25, 2016, in Pacifica, Calif. Strong waves caused by El Nino storms ate away part of a sea wall and cliffs threatening several homes and an apartment building.

"Cavities in the bluff are forming to the south, west and north of the building and these critically over-steepened slopes are anticipated to fall back to more stable profiles in the next several days," he said.

"El Nino is a big factor in this," Pacifica police chief Dan Steidle told ABC News.

He said that since mid to late December, the town has been hit by upwards of 10 storms.

"We've been getting hit one right after another," he said.

PHOTO: Eileen Horan shuts the door to her patio overlooking the Pacific Ocean after being forced to evacuate her apartment on Jan. 25, 2016, in Pacifica, Calif.
Eileen Horan shuts the door to her patio overlooking the Pacific Ocean after being forced to evacuate her apartment on Jan. 25, 2016, in Pacifica, Calif.

The 20 apartments in the area are not the only buildings impacted. There has been reports of damage to a local pier and a sea wall since Dec. 15.

PHOTO: Jonathan Levine stands in his doorway after learning he would have to evacuate his oceanside apartment Jan. 25, 2016, in Pacifica, Calif. His apartment building, perched atop a coastal bluff, is in danger of falling into the ocean.
Jonathan Levine stands in his doorway after learning he would have to evacuate his oceanside apartment Jan. 25, 2016, in Pacifica, Calif. His apartment building, perched atop a coastal bluff, is in danger of falling into the ocean.

The city manager declared a state of local emergency as a result of the damage.

PHOTO: A couple looks at waves breaking near the seawall, Jan. 25, 2016, in Pacifica, Calif. Strong waves caused by El Nino storms ate away part of the sea wall in the coastal community, threatening homes and an apartment building.
A couple looks at waves breaking near the seawall, Jan. 25, 2016, in Pacifica, Calif. Strong waves caused by El Nino storms ate away part of the sea wall in the coastal community, threatening homes and an apartment building.