Where Mother Nature Shows Her Glory and Her Wrath : Weather: In Malibu, Big Rock residents have enjoyed ocean views and fresh air. But they have endured a never-ending lesson in humility in their battles against calamities.

If the struggle between man and nature had a single venue, it could easily be Big Rock, a spectacular oceanfront canyon in Malibu that was among the hardest-hit areas in this week’s turbulent storm.

Several hundred families have made the canyon, its bluffs and beachfront their private paradise, with expensive homes and magnificent vistas the standard fare. But Big Rock, named for a nearby offshore boulder, has not taken well to its human admirers, a predicament that has made living there a never-ending lesson in humility--from enduring landslides to fires to earthquakes to mudflows.

“Big Rock is where the hardiest of Malibuites live,” said Michael Caggiano, a Malibu resident who lived in Big Rock for 12 years until his house burned down in November. “It is really hard to think of an area that Mother Nature has pummeled harder.”

The latest calamity came Monday in the form of a cascade of muddy water racing down the hillside and thrashing into a dozen beachfront homes. Cars were tossed, residents trapped and garage doors torn open. Some residents had to be rescued from their homes in the shovel of a Caltrans skip-loader.

But as bad as it was Monday, most of Big Rock was breathing a collective sigh of relief Tuesday, having escaped the raging waters with minimum damage, most of it confined to thick oozing mud on driveways and roads. The 250 or so families that call Big Rock home have not always been so lucky--in fact, some might argue that they are usually unlucky.

“You get to the point, between the fire, the earthquake and now this, that I am almost embarrassed to tell people where I live,” said Margaret Richards, who for 18 years has lived in a four-bedroom home with a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean. “I just ran up to the grocery store because if it starts to rain again, God knows what will happen this time.”

Forty-four houses burned to the ground in last fall’s fire, with four others sustaining substantial damage, robbing hillsides of vegetation and setting the stage for this week’s mudflows. Three weeks ago, the Northridge earthquake rolled through the canyon like no longtime residents can recall, with walls cracking, shelves toppling and nerves rattling.

Storms in April, 1979, scattered enough rocks and boulders from Big Rock’s geological nooks and crannies to close Pacific Coast Highway to traffic, transforming the high-speed roadway into a playground for bicyclists and joggers until Caltrans could clear the debris.

But by far the biggest catastrophe came in 1983, when one of the worst landslides in state history damaged more than 200 homes, cracking walls, foundations, floors, driveways, tennis courts and winding roads. About 30 homes were determined to be unlivable.

Geologists concluded that the area rests atop an ancient slide plane that was triggered by rising ground water. Residents blamed Los Angeles County--which had jurisdiction over the area before Malibu was incorporated in 1991--for contributing to the problem by allowing development on Big Rock without sewers. They also blamed the state of California for destabilizing the area by cutting into the hillside to make way for Pacific Coast Highway.

After five years of legal haggling, the county, state and several insurance companies agreed to a $97-million settlement with 240 homeowners. The $35-million county portion was the largest payout in county history.

Even with the cash--an average of $300,000 per household not including attorney fees--many homeowners found it was not enough. Some say it is difficult to get insurance for their homes, while others have moved out and found renters.

“If you chose to live (there), you are going to have some unique problems to deal with, but in return you get fresh air, ocean views and a place away from the city,” said resident John Cadarette, who helped litigate the neighborhood lawsuit.