http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/03/10/battered-by-winter-storms-big-sur-is-cut-off-from-california/

California received some much needed precipitation over this past winter, lifting it out of a severe drought.  This was not without its problems however, as the sharp increase in precipitations have led to landslides in parts of the state.  One notable example of this was the small town of Big Sur, which has essentially been cut in half and cut off from the rest of the state.  The increase in the water in the system allowed for the transport of more sediment.  Unfortunately, this led to landslides not only closing off the highway south of the town, but also damaging a key bridge beyond repair, closing off the town from the rest of the state.  The precipitation was necessary, but it also had destructive consequences.  This may have shown the need to have a contingency plan in place in case key routes to towns in landslide prone areas get blocked off by the landslides.

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