Mudslide Oozes Into San Pablo, Calif.

March 29, 2011 — -- City officials declaried a local emergency in San Pablo, Calif., after mudslides from heavy rains damaged homes and led to the evacuation of a half-dozen families.

The city manager, R. Matt Rodriguez, issued the proclamation on Sunday, citing conditions of "extreme peril" from a landslide on two streets and major damage to seven properties. The emergency proclamation paves the way for government relief, according to the Contra Costa Times.

ABC affiliate KGO reported that heavy rain on Thursday led to the landslide, pushing down the hillside into the backyards of homes. Inspectors "yellow-tagged" at least three homes over the weekend, restricting access to the homes to the daylight and only if at least one other person accompanies them, according to Kelsey Worthy, assistant city manager.

"Family and friends have provided the bulk of the assistance and the City is assisting the family staying at the local hotel," Worthy wrote in an email. The city set up a donation account, San Pablo Landslide Event fund, at the San Pablo branch of Mechanics Bank.

San Pablo is a town of about 30,000 residents in an area of three square miles, according to the city's website. The city is across the bay from San Francisco, a 20-mile drive away.

Meanwhile, the residents say they are in limbo awaiting support from the city. A meeting is planned with them tomorrow at 6 PM.

"There's not any support whatsoever," resident Sandra Givens told KGO. Givens said her husband was "very hopeful that everything will work out," however.

Yesterday, Givens packed up their belongings and hauled them away.

Other residents, Leon Walker and his wife, Janka, who have lived in their home for seven years, told KGO they packed their belongings last Friday.

"I never thought in my lifetime that my house would slide down this hill," Mr. Walker said. "I thought that I'd be here throughout my children going through junior high, high school."

Mrs. Walker said she was upset that there was "not one disclosure" about a previous landslide in the same neighborhood years ago.

"You know, we put a lot of money... even a downpayment on this house," Mrs. Walker said. "Who's going to give me that back? Who's going to give me anything? We are losing home and house in one."

"I understand their frustration," Worthy said. "They've gone from homeowners to slide victims overnight."

Worthy said the city has had engineers and staff assessing the site "around the clock," tried to assist the victims with accommodations, and hired a company to remove trees on the hill, the "biggest threat for two of the homes."

"We've done things but if you're losing your home, aside from fixing the hillside, it's going to fall short of what they want," Worthy said.

San Pablo city council member Leonard McNeil said he was proud of the city's crisis management response. He said a local church was mobilizing to help one of the families pack their belongings on short notice.

"I see the community rallying around the situation which helps end the isolation that I imagine the displaced families feel," McNeil said in an email from Seattle, who will return on Friday to San Pablo.

Jordan Scott, of the California Emergency Management Agency, said the state has not yet declared an emergency for the area but the Contra Costa County office of Emergency Services is handling the response.

"The next step is to assess damage and determine if we need a state of emergency," Scott said. "We're there for guidance and support right now."