I lived in Malibu for seven years from 1978 to 1985. With its eclectic population ranging from the super wealthy and the mega famous to simple people who just love the land and wannabes who squeeze out a living just to be there, it is a unique place. Most of the people who live there just want to be left alone. You can live a quarter mile from someone and never see them. The entrance roads to their property winds away from yours. Some of them you might see at the market or a local restaurant while others are almost never visible. Bob Dylan doesn’t push a shopping cart around the market and Stephen Spielberg doesn’t make a habit of hanging around the local bars.

But, despite their desire for isolation, the people of Malibu ban together fiercely when something threatens their way of life whether that something is political, social or of the natural disaster variety. The last one is particularly significant since, in some ways, Malibu is kind of a natural disaster theme park. What with earthquakes, wildfires, avalanches, floods and mudslides to name a few, living in the beach city where so many go to find peace is really quite an adventure.

There is one main road in Malibu and that is the fame Pacific Coast Highway which runs the length of the city’s twenty-seven miles. Since it is only eight miles wide at it’s largest and often less than one mile wide the entire community is pretty much dependent on PCH. This past week parts of the Pacific Coast Highway been shut down due to mudslides and flooding. It is estimated that parts of the iconic coastal highway will be closed until at least Monday as crews work to clear as much as 40-feet of debris in some areas.

A recent rain storm caused the mudslides. The previously fire ravaged area was vulnerable to the weather, as the rare heavy rains came in on Saturday, intensifying in the evening.  A big mudslide happened near Las Posas Road, trapping several vehicles in the mud, rocks and other debris from the nearby hillsides.

There were reports of several such mudslide incidents in the area, including Encinal Canyon, as well as some heavy flooding in several locations.

With a thirteen miles section of the highway closed, several drivers seeking alternate routes wound up in trouble from the damage. One couple reportedly hit a rock and disabled their vehicle, while another became stuck between mudslide locations.

Officially, PCH was closed from Las Posas Road in Ventura County to Encinal Canyon Road in Malibu. with no injuries reported. It should reopen on Sunday, authorities said.

About an inch of rain was expected to fall in Southern California before clearing Sunday morning. Several vehicles remained stuck in mud Sunday morning. Caltrans said PCH would remain closed in both directions from Las Posas Road in Ventura County to Encinal Canyon Road in Malibu until at least Monday. Meanwhile, maintenance crews at the scene continued to assist with towing and cleanup.

Malibu residents, some of whom are survivors of the Woolsey Fire, described their reactions as boulders, rocks and tree limbs covered PCH in the mudslide. “Last night I was full-on PTSD after what we experienced with the fire,” said Jordan Jacob, who lost his home to the November wildfire. “It brought back a lot of feelings, like, oh no, we gotta go, we gotta be prepared. But. actually, we were pretty well-prepared and we learned a lot from the fire that we are going to take on mudslide season.”

The slides occurred after heavy rains swept across stretches of Southern California on Saturday. The rains were especially dangerous after last year’s Woolsey Fire — a blaze that scarred nearly 100,00 acres, destroyed 1,600 structures and killed three people in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.