The Rains Came and Came and Came : For prudent Californians, emergency preparedness is a way of life

Some of the most severe winter downpours of recent years pelted Southern California this week, providing a reminder that we live in a region that always must be ready to deal with a range of emergencies.

In parts of Orange County, so much rain fell so quickly that the term once-in-100-years storm was being used. The county’s flood control manager said the deluge “overtaxed the storm drains and flood control channels.” He offered a pair of valuable recommendations for people living in any flood-control plain: Stockpile sandbags to hold back the water and consider buying flood insurance.

Even before Orange County’s bankruptcy last month, officials were puzzling over how to come up with $1 billion needed to upgrade the county flood control system. Thanks to federal funds, the drainage capacity of the Santa Ana River, considered the biggest flood threat west of the Mississippi, has been greatly improved in recent years, and the river has handled the rainfall well so far.

But in many low-lying communities, streets that flooded in heavy rains two years ago suffered the same problems this week. The recurrent problems underlined the risks of living in areas now made vulnerable by urbanization and increased population.

Cars flooded in Long Beach and South Bay communities. Luckily, there were numerous good Samaritans. Some rescued a woman swept under her automobile in San Pedro; others towed vehicles from a Carson-area intersection where water rose to windshield level within minutes.

At Leisure World, the Seal Beach retirement community where the main thoroughfare is Golden Rain Road and the average age is 79, hundreds were evacuated. A city councilman said the flood control channel that runs through the community might not have overflowed so rapidly had sandbags been placed between Leisure World and the Navy weapons station next door. That should be a first step the next time the rains fall, as they will. Seems that Southern California water comes two ways: too much or too little.