CNN —The deep landslides beneath the multimillion-dollar homes in Rancho Palos Verdes moved at an almost glacial pace, until they didn’t. This affluent coastal city in Southern California, around 30 miles south of Los Angeles, has long enticed people with its Pacific Ocean views and lush greenery. This February, an atmospheric river dumped record amounts of rain across southern California, triggering hundreds of mudslides and leaving at least nine people dead. In July, a landslide triggered by heavy monsoon rains in India’s southern state of Kerala killed at least 150 people. In Southern California, “people wanted to pretend they lived in the tropics,” he said, “and planted a lot of landscaping that required lots of watering.”Deforestation is another factor.

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Persons: Gavin Newsom, Jason Armond, Alexander Handwerger, ”, Gary Griggs, Dave Petley, Dana Point perilously, Ted Soqui, Handwerger, “ We’ve, Griggs, Thomas, Marcio Jose Sanchez, Cyclone Gabriel, Ugur Öztürk, University of Hull’s Petley Organizations: CNN, Rancho Palos Verdes, Bend Community, Rancho Palos, Los Angeles Times, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Palos, University of California, University of Hull, AP, Cyclone, University of Potsdam, German Research Centre, Geosciences, University of Hull’s Locations: Rancho, Southern California, Los Angeles, Rancho Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes, University of California Santa Cruz, England, California, Dana Point, Dana Point , California, Montecito, Montecito , California, New Zealand, Kerala