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LOS ANGELES - People living in an upmarket coastal stretch of Malibu were under an evacuation order Wednesday after a giant sinkhole opened up on the driveway of a beachfront home belonging to Oscar-winning US actor Nicolas Cage.
The enormous hole appeared Tuesday as heavy surf - brought by the after-effects of a hurricane - pounded the exclusive coastline, which is home to some of California's wealthiest people and a host of celebrities.
Photographs of the crater, estimated to be as much as 60 feet (18 meters) wide in places, showed it contained concrete, tiles and a portable toilet that appeared to have been placed at the multi-million dollar home for use by workmen who were doing alterations.
By Tuesday evening, the sinkhole was around 25 feet deep, as waves from the churning Pacific Ocean continued to eat away at the coastline, lapping around the stanchions that support the house which the "Leaving Las Vegas" actor bought for $10.5 million.
Malibu city officials issued an evacuation order affecting dozens of homes in some of the most sought-after real estate in Southern California.
"The Director of Emergency Services of the City of Malibu has declared the existence of a local emergency following a large sinkhole forming near 31630 Sea Level Drive," an announcement said.
"An evacuation order is in effect for all affected properties. Sheriff Deputies have notified residents in person, and a digital alert has been issued by the City."
South of Los Angeles, truckloads of boulders had been placed along a stretch of beach in Dana Point in an effort to protect properties in a spot where seven homes have already been declared uninhabitable, with one partially collapsing into the sea.
Richard Thompson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told AFP on Tuesday that coastal waters were being roiled by the remnants of Hurricane Marie.
"There were some pretty significant surf and swells across area in the last several days," he said.
"At the height of the surf and swell, we had some very significant wave heights of 10 up to 15 feet (3.0-4.5 meters) in some spots, along with significant beach erosion."
This week Hurricane Lowell lashed Hawaii with damaging winds, heavy rainfall and powerful floods, blacking out power across most of one island.
A near-record-strength El Nino climate episode is warming the waters of the Pacific Ocean and promoting the formation of powerful storms.
While the warming phase is a natural phenomenon, scientists believe the human-caused heating of the climate could make its effects much larger. - AFP
