TIMES ORANGE COUNTY POLL : Disaster Leaves Laguna Anxious and Depressed : Fire aftermath: Community is in shock, but most residents predict the area will end up a better place to live.

Sounding like a family that has suffered a painful loss, Laguna Beach residents in a Times Orange County Poll said that last week’s firestorm has left the community in a state of shock, fearful of another disaster and apprehensive about their everyday lives.

A large portion of the 600 Laguna Beach and Emerald Bay residents polled within a week of the fires that destroyed 366 dwellings there said they have suffered from the classic symptoms of anxiety and depression. More than 40% said the disaster has made them nervous or irritable, and a third reported that they have had trouble concentrating or difficulty sleeping.

According to mental health workers, hundreds of fire victims have sought counseling at the American Red Cross disaster relief center in Laguna Beach for a variety of ailments, emotional as well as physical.

“You have cases of elderly people who lost a spouse decades ago who suddenly find themselves dreaming about that person,” said Jill Bradenburger, a Red Cross counselor. “This is a very normal reaction to an abnormal situation.”

Other people have complained of uncontrollable shaking.

“Well-meaning people will say, ‘At least you have your wife and family,’ but that doesn’t by any means diminish a person’s sense of loss,” Bradenburger said.

The fire seems to have shattered elements of the worry-free lives that residents once enjoyed in the casual elegance of a village by the sea, according to the poll that was conducted Monday through Wednesday by Mark Baldassare & Associates.

Most residents reported having given scant notice to the risk of a fire disaster before last week. Today, a wide majority of the area residents are fearful that the same thing could happen again.

“I’m not quite over it,” said Phyllis Onstott, 79, of Emerald Bay, the exclusive community in an unincorporated area just north of Laguna Beach. “The fire came within one house of my place, but my house was saved and I’m very grateful.”

The poll also indicated, however, that the area will be staggered only momentarily, and that residents are resilient and committed to their community despite the setback.

Many even said they were optimistic. Nearly three in five of the poll’s respondents said they thought Laguna Beach will be a better place to live in five years from now than it was before the fire. And that is not because they didn’t like the city already.

Nine in 10 Lagunans--as one council member calls residents--said they already had a “very favorable” opinion of Laguna Beach as a place to live. And the No. 1 reason they said they like the city is something the fire could not destroy--”a sense of community, neighbors.”

It appears, then, that there will be very few driven out of town by the fire. More than 90% of those surveyed said they have no plans to move, with just 2% saying they will move.

The community attitude was captured Sunday in a handmade sign placed at the entrance to Emerald Bay, where 65 of the 500 homes were destroyed. It read: “Tough Times Never Last, Tough People Do!”

At a meeting last weekend that drew more than 300 people, Emerald Bay residents announced an Adopt-a-Family program intended to provide support, friendship and assistance. The Times Orange County Poll found that most Laguna-area communities have undergone a similar experience, drawing neighbors and friends closer together than they had previously been.

Nearly all poll respondents said they have been contacted by friends or relatives wishing to express their concern. And 94% said neighbors in their area have given one another help or comfort.

About two-thirds of the residents in the area have also been personally involved in helping fire victims.

Two years after a firestorm swept through the Oakland Hills and destroyed more than 3,000 homes, residents in that area still report a profound change in their safety preparedness.

Like Laguna Beach, Oakland got poor marks for its response to the fire. But the city now requires flameproof building materials, has built a weather station in the hills and bought an infrared scanner so that its helicopter can spot hidden embers. Oakland also modified its fire hydrants so they can be used by fire engines from other cities, a problem that reportedly hampered the firefighting effort in Laguna Beach.

From the results of The Times Orange County Poll, it appears Laguna Beach is likely to undergo a similar re-evaluation of its vulnerability to fire.

Two-thirds of the respondents said they plan to review the adequacy of their fire insurance coverage. More than half said they will change the way they store their valuables. About a third of the area’s homeowners also plan to make changes to the landscaping around their dwellings. Gov. Pete Wilson and fire officials said the combustible vegetation around many of the homes in Laguna Beach was a primary reason the fire was so destructive.

About one in five of the area’s residents also said they plan to change their roofs or make structural modifications to their homes.

William Harcum, 72, said he doesn’t think the city was well prepared for the disaster that nearly claimed the home he has lived in for more than 35 years. Like many others, he said the experience left its mark.

“I couldn’t sleep the night of the fire--I was up all that night--and I still have some problems sleeping,” Harcum said. “During this dry spell, I’ve been out looking at everything, thinking about the fire possibilities. The fire is constantly on my mind.”

Just 14% of poll respondents said that, before last week’s fire, they had previously worried very much about a fire hitting Laguna Beach, and just 21% said they had been somewhat worried. Now, however, the figures are almost reversed: More than a third said they worry “very much” about fire now, and another 28% said they are “somewhat worried.” The fear is somewhat greater among older residents.

A solid majority of respondents--83%--also said there was no damage to their homes during the fire. Still, the psychological scars were widespread.

According to the poll, about a quarter of the city’s residents are experiencing feelings of depression or hopelessness as a result of the fire. In addition to symptoms of nervousness, loss of concentration and insomnia, about one in five residents also reported a loss of appetite.

A large portion--43%--also said they are experiencing two or more of the above symptoms, with 38% saying they have not experienced any such maladies.

Times staff writer Bill Billiter contributed to this story.

How the Poll Was Conducted

The Times Orange County Poll was conducted by Mark Baldassare & Associates. The telephone survey of 600 Laguna Beach and Emerald Bay adult residents was conducted from Nov. 1 to Nov. 3 on weekday nights. A computer-generated random sample of telephone numbers was used. The margin of error for the total sample is plus or minus 4% at the 95% confidence level. That means it is 95% certain the results are within 4 percentage points of what they would be had every Laguna Beach and Emerald Bay adult resident been interviewed. Because this was a household survey, it did not include interviews with residents whose homes were destroyed in the fire.

TIMES ORANGE COUNTY POLL

Fire Aftermath

Many Laguna Beach residents are showing signs of psychological distress since the fire that destroyed parts of the city.

Since the fire, have you personally experienced any of the following?

Nervousness, irritability: 41%

Trouble concentrating: 37%

Difficulty sleeping: 34%

Depression, hopeless feelings: 23%

Loss of appetite: 19%

Number of symptoms:

None: 38%

One: 19%

Two or more: 43%

Since the fire, have you personally experienced any of the following (percent saying yes):

Have friends and relatives called to offer help, or to express concerns about your safety and well-being?: 98%

Have neighbors in your area given each other help, comfort or support?: 94%

Have you personally been involved in helping victims of the fire?: 67%

Has the fire brought your family closer together?: 63%

Which of the following actions do you plan to take as a result of last week’s fire? (percent saying yes):

Step: Review the adequacy of your fire insurance coverage Total: 63% Homeowner: 64% Renter: 63%

*Step: Change the way you store your valuables Total: 51% Homeowner: 49% Renter: 55%

*Step: Make changes to your landscape Total: 29% Homeowner: 33% Renter: 23%

*Step: Make changes to your roof or other structural changes to your home Total: 19% Homeowner: 23% Renter: 13%

*Step: Move out of the Laguna Beach area Total: 4% Homeowner: 3% Renter: 5%

* When the fire hit the Laguna Beach area last week, how much fright did you feel?

A lot: 59%

Some: 16%

Very little: 13%

None at all: 12%

Before last week’s fire, how much did you worry about a major fire hitting the Laguna Beach area?

Very much: 14%

Somewhat: 21%

Only a little: 23%

Not at all: 42%

Today, how much do you worry about another fire hitting the Laguna Beach area in the future?

Very much: 34%

Somewhat: 28%

Only a little: 24%

Not at all: 14%

Would you describe the damage to your home caused by last week’s fire as major or minor, or was was there no damage at all?

Major: 2%

Minor: 15%

No damage: 83%

Do you feel that the rest of Orange County cares a lot, some, a little, or not at all about the needs Laguna Beach faces after the fire?

A lot: 49%

Some: 31%

A little: 11%

Not at all: 3%

Don’t know: 6%

Do you expect the fire’s financial impact on you and your household to be a major or minor loss, or no loss at all?

Major loss: 5%

Minor loss: 19%

No loss: 76%

Is your overall view of the Laguna Beach area as a place to live very favorable, somewhat favorable, somewhat unfavorable or very unfavorable?

Very favorable: 87%

Somewhat favorable: 11%

Unfavorable: 2%

What do you like best about living in the Laguna Beach area?

Sense of community, neighbors: 41%

Close to beach: 17%

Homes and neighborhoods: 10%

Climate: 10%

Unconventional lifestyle: 8%

Artists, arts community: 3%

Convenient location: 3%

Safe from crime: 2%

Stores and restaurants: 1%

Status, prestige: 1%

Gay and lesbian community: 1%

Schools: 1%

Other: 2%

Five years from now, do you think the Laguna Beach area will be a better or worse place to live than it was before last week’s fire?

Better place: 56%

No difference: 23%

Worse place: 14%

Don’t know: 7%

Since the fire, which of these statements best describes your feelings about living in the Laguna Beach area?

I have definite plans to move away: 2%

I am thinking about moving away: 6%

I have no plans to move away: 91%

Don’t know: 1%

Source: Times Orange County Poll