Sonoma County neighborhood under evacuation warning due to landslide threat

"The warning is the result of a hillside collapse that was reported around 2:20 p.m. Monday along Neeley Road at River Lane. It damaged portions of a home that sits on top and along the edge of the hill but no one was inside Monday afternoon and no injuries were reported, said Karen Hancock, a spokesperson for the Sonoma County Fire District."

"Guerneville resident Keith Gorrebeeck, who retired from a career in construction, observed the damage Tuesday and surmised it was caused by concrete spray that workers installed this month while working on a retainer wall at the bottom of the hill. Water and moisture likely built up behind the solidified layer and gave into pressure, he said."

"The evacuation warning, issued Monday night by the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, covers the portion of Neeley between River Lane and Montesano Avenue. Also under warning are homeowners along the east side of Orchard Avenue between River and Montesano."

A hillside collapse occurred Monday afternoon along Neeley Road at River Lane in Guerneville, damaging portions of a home situated on the hill's edge. No injuries were reported as the home was unoccupied at the time. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office issued an evacuation warning Monday night covering Neeley Road between River Lane and Montesano Avenue, plus the east side of Orchard Avenue between those same streets. Permit Sonoma is investigating the collapse's cause. A local construction-retired resident theorized the collapse resulted from concrete spray applied to a retainer wall at the hill's base this month, with water and moisture accumulating behind the solidified layer. The warning remains in effect as the region prepares for additional rainfall.

Read at The Mercury News