Flooding Wreaks Havoc at Leisure World in Seal Beach

In the worst disaster of its 33-year history, the retirement community of Leisure World suffered an estimated $2 million in damage during Wednesday’s fierce rainstorm, which forced city officials to declare a state of emergency in the retirement community, officials said Thursday.

More than 300 Leisure World residents--some in wheelchairs--had to be evacuated to a clubhouse converted into a shelter when a flood control channel that runs through the center of the community rapidly overflowed, sending water rushing down streets and into homes.

“The earthquake did some damage, but nothing compares to this,” said Seal Beach City Councilman William J. Doane, who lives in the community of 8,700 residents.

Leisure World’s main road, Golden Rain Road, was submerged in three feet of water at one point. Police and fire crews used inflatable boats to transport frightened residents to the shelter.

“It was like we lived in a river and our home was a houseboat,” said 70-year-old Genevieve Kline, whose unit is only feet away from the flood control channel. “We stuffed raincoats and towels near the door, packed our bags and medication and got ready to go.”

At least 168 of the community’s 6,608 homes were declared uninhabitable by county inspectors and nearly 200 more units suffered some water damage. Most victims were expected to stay with relatives or friends Thursday night, and 30 others were staying at a American Red Cross shelter that was set up inside a Leisure World clubhouse, officials said.

Bill Narang, Leisure World’s administrator, said at least two residents suffered heart problems during the evacuation and a few were taken to the hospital to be examined. Some frightened residents in the community were trapped in their homes throughout the night.

“I was in the water all night alone,” 83-year-old Maria Fischbach said. “I don’t feel very good right now, to tell you the truth. I spent the night on the sofa with a bucket, pouring the water from the ground into the sink.”

Norman and Betty Hancock, both 67, were rescued from their home with only the clothes on their backs and their yellow and gray cockatiel named Sender.

“He’s our most important possession,” Norman Hancock said as held the large white cage which contained the bird. “We had to grab him. Then we were just hoping that someone would grab us. The water was up to my knees.”

Elsewhere in Seal Beach, apartment buildings and houses in parts of the Old Town and College Park East sections suffered some water damage, mostly to garages.

“There wasn’t a substantial number of homes that suffered flooding with the exception of the Leisure World area. We’re pretty well dried out,” said Lee Whittenberg, the city’s director of development services.

The flooding was so severe along the Seal Beach coast Wednesday that city workers were forced to create openings in tall sand berms on the beach to allow the rainwater to drain into the ocean. The berms are designed to protect homes from waves.

Seal Beach officials said they hoped the state would declare the city a disaster area so Leisure World flood victims, many of whom are on fixed incomes, could receive low-interest loans for repairs.

The situation is complicated by the fact that many residents don’t have flood insurance and the damage probably will not be covered by homeowners insurance. Many are unsure how they’ll pay for the damage.

“The insurance company is telling us that (the flood) is an act of God,” one angry woman said Thursday, as she hosed thick mud off of her front porch.

Other buildings to experience severe flooding were Leisure World’s amphitheater, which was filled with about 10 feet of water, and the Redeemer Lutheran Church, which had 12 feet of water in its basement and suffered extensive first-floor flooding.

“It’s a mess,” said Glenn Johnson, the church’s pastor. “There is mud all over the pews and desks. It’s everywhere. They are going to start pumping the water out Friday.”

But property damage was only part of the problem for Leisure World officials and rescue workers Thursday, who were helping a population whose average age is 79.

“Our biggest concerns right now are getting people fed and making sure they have their medication,” Narang said. “We have no serious injuries, but people were very traumatized because they were stuck in water three to four feet deep. Many are nervous and confused.”

Red Cross volunteers were busy Thursday helping people with claim paperwork, tending to medical needs and serving ham and turkey sandwiches.

Lines for the only pay phone inside the evacuation center stretched down the hall as residents waited to contact friends and relatives. Frustration ran high as irate residents asked Leisure World officials how long they would be out of their homes.

“It might be today, it might be tomorrow, we just don’t know,” Narang said. “We need to go clean up so we can let people back to their homes.”

Some of the residents could not wait.

Cloma Garrison, 78, went back to her home on El Dorado Drive to retrieve her arthritis medication and her cane, opened the door to her two-bedroom home and saw “a mess, a squishy mess.” Her cream-colored carpet squished beneath her feet as she entered the home.

Councilman Doane said a flood control channel that brings rainwater from inland communities to a catch basin just south of Leisure World overflowed, causing the flooding. The channel runs from Garden Grove, through the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station and into Leisure World, Doane said.

“There was no room for the water,” Doane said. “It happened too fast. We had five inches of rain in 10 hours. We couldn’t handle it.”

Mayor George Brown estimated damage to homes and the retirement community at $2 million.

Doane complained Thursday that the Leisure World flooding might have been prevented if sandbags had been placed between the weapons station and Leisure World. The sandbags would have prevented flood waters from flowing into the community, he said.

“If they would have blocked the channel (at the weapons station), it would have flooded farmland on the base,” Doane said. “That would have damaged crops, but that’s not as important as what it did to Leisure World residents.”

Times correspondents Susan Howlett and Russ Loar contributed to this report.