The next storms in the Bay Area are great for the drought, but will put an Oakland family on edge.
Part of the saturated hill the family's home is built on slid last week. Inspectors on Wednesday continued to examine the slide, search for a cause and a solution to prevent more erosion.
The area of the slide is on Oak Ridge Road in the Oakland Hills. Homeowner Kevin Best loves his spectacular view, but now worries about the future of his home.
"There's nothing like seeing the Bay," Best said. "I didn't retire to lose my home."
The hill next to Best's home has already slid down a ravine.
"It's my home and when you're not secure in your own home, it's absolutely the worst feeling in the whole world," Best said.
On Tuesday, a surveyor Best hired had to be rescued after getting stuck knee-deep in mud. It took firefighters 15 minutes to free the man, who was not injured.
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Workers returned to the site on Wednesday to tarp the hillside in hopes of preventing another slide. A worker with the East Bay Municipal Utility District also showed up to test the faucet water and groundwater.
The EBMUD worker was testing for ammonia in the water. High levels of ammonia will indicate the water is sewage, according to the worker.
The tests are also to see if in the middle of the slide was caused by a sewage leak or a break in the main.
Preliminarily, it is believed the trickle that compromised the hill is coming from a natural underground spring, which means there are not many repairs Best can make.
City officials tell Best it is not their responsibility and his insurance company said it does not cover landslides.
"I'm really kinda punch drunk," Best said.
