Five homes have been evacuated following a landslide at Bilgola Beach on the Barrenjoey Peninsula in northern Sydney, New South Wales. The incident occurred early on the morning of Tuesday 13 May 2014, and was made worse when a fire truck arrived at the road above the slope to offer assistance, only to have a three meter section of road collapse beneath it, raining further debris on the affected houses.
Fire truck trapped by a collapsed road on The Serpentine at Bilgola Beach, Sydney, on 13 May 2014. Martin Lange/News Corp Australia.
The incident is understood to have been caused by a burst water main, which washed sediments from under the road and down the hillslope onto the houses bellow. Landslides are a common problem during flooding events, as excess pore water pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments, allowing them to flow like liquids.
The approximate location of the 13 May 2014 Bilgola Beach Landslide. Google Maps.
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