La Conchita Residents Lived at Their Own Risk

LA CONCHITA, Calif., Jan. 12, 2005 — -- Following the mudslides that destroyed part of the oceanside community of La Conchita, Calif., emergency workers this morning removed from a pile of demolished houses the bodies of Jimmie Wallet's wife and three young daughters. Ten years ago, the Wallet family lost their home to a previous landslide that hit the town.

Everyone who lived in La Conchita knew the danger of potential mudslides, but they chose to ignore it or live with it.

"We have beautiful beaches here. It's a beautiful part of the world," said La Conchita resident Jack Falk. "We desire to live nowhere else in the country except right here."

Many Californians rebuild after fires, floods and earthquakes whenever possible because they consider the state to be paradise. Today after touring the damage, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger pledged to help residents start over.

"Because I totally understand," he said, "there's no one that wants to be chased out of their neighborhood."

Most of County Marked Dangerous

As much as 80 percent of Ventura County, where La Conchita is located on the coast, is marked on maps as being geologically hazardous.

After a 1995 landslide destroyed houses without killing anyone, the county government considered buying every house in town. Instead, officials decided to let homeowners remain and take their own risks.

Because it is difficult for a government to legally step in and take property for the sake of protecting lives, the county built a retaining wall to protect the town. But it was obliterated Wednesday when a slab of earth loosened by days of torrential rain came crashing down, covering homes in 30 feet of mud.

Jimmie Wallett had been out getting ice cream when the mudslide occurred. He returned to find his house gone. The bodies of his 37-year-old wife, Mechelle, and daughters Hannah, 10, Raven, 6, and Paloma, 2, were recovered after a frantic search. A 16-year-old daughter survived because she was also out when the mudslide occurred.

Since the 1995 landslide, geologists have been monitoring the hill to check for movement.

"The geologist always said it would be another 100,000 years before this thing ever happened again," said resident Karri Konczal.

But in geological time, experts say, there is little difference between 100,000 years and one day.

ABC News' Brian Rooney filed this report for "World News Tonight."