Damage Could Raise a Red Tag

What are the criteria for red-tagging a home?

Any home damaged by a landslide, earthquake or other disaster and deemed too dangerous for occupants receives a red tag, prohibiting reentry. Building and safety officials also can red-tag homes at risk of sustaining damage. Such was the case in Anaheim earlier this month, when officials red-tagged a luxury home in danger of being toppled by another home above it on a hillside.

What does a yellow tag mean?

Restricted access. A home or building is authorized for limited occupancy and the tag spells out those portions of the building that can be used and those that are off limits.

Is there any other kind of tag?

After a disaster, officials often place green tags on homes and buildings to show that they have been inspected and found safe for occupancy.

What should one do once a home is red-tagged?

Stay out. In the case of a landslide that has damaged a home, occupancy is not allowed until the danger has passed and damage is repaired. To gain reentry, a homeowner must fix the damage and get clearance from a geological engineer, who can certify that the slide no longer poses a threat.

Which homes are most vulnerable to tagging?

There is no such thing as “most vulnerable,” said Tom Melugin, district manager for the Ventura County Building and Safety Division. After the 1994 Northridge quake, he said he saw concrete blockhouses toppled, while wooden structures emerged unscathed.

And he said location doesn’t seem to matter, noting that homes on hillsides and flatlands have proved equally vulnerable to this winter’s storms.

If a landslide caused a home to be tagged, what happens once the slide is cleaned up?

To return home, residents must still receive clearance from a structural engineer. In some cases, the damage is so severe or the danger so pervasive that reentry is never allowed. And sometimes the slides stay put, as has been the case in the Ventura County community of La Conchita. Officials say last month’s slide, which buried 12 homes and killed 10 people, should remain in place to buttress the adjacent hillside.