During a seemingly-impromptu press conference on the front lawn of a house gutted by three-foot high waters nearly two weeks earlier, Assemblymember Warren Furutani and members of his recently-formed Long Beach Legislative Delegation gathered to offer support and vowed to search for funding that would put an end to residents’ fears of returning floodwaters, once and for all.
But words weren’t enough for some residents of Arlington Road, who have heard similar rhetoric and seen promises pass unfulfilled before. Speaking on behalf of his neighborhood and flanked by legislators, Miguel Moreno stepped to the microphone and coolly denounced the words delivered by the very people that stood behind him.
“As I listen to our representatives, I’ve got two sentiments: one of hope, and one of disappointment,” Moreno said. “It was my understanding that the money we needed to fix the problem over there [pointing to Edison property] was already found. Soon, I was hoping that we were going to have a groundbreaking over there.”
Furutani and the other members of the Delegation – Sen. Alan Lowenthal, Councilmember Tonia Reyes Uranga and Sen. Rod Wright – nodded along as Moreno demanded action.
“When you need me, I’m knocking doors for you,” he said, to approval from the crowd of about 30. “I vote all the time; but for what? Don’t just say it; I’d like to see it happen.”
His words echoed the exasperated feelings of West Long Beach residents who embraced Moreno as he stepped down. But the residents of Arlington Street weren’t done yet.
Moreno and others briefly toured the officials through damaged homes and told stories of the frightening ordeal. They also debunked popular misconceptions about what actually happened that have been spread around by officials through the media.
For instance, the clogged drain on nearby Edison property was just one of a series of factors that led to the flooding. That drain is one of few places for rainwater to go; and it is too small for the amount it receives; and it was clogged by dirt and debris from a nearby nursery. Additionally, Arlington Street lies at the bottom of a downhill trajectory from the aptly-named River Avenue, which carries rain and ensuing floodwaters south from the city of Carson. When the water reaches Arlington Street, it is met by a ten-foot wall constructed by Edison in the early 90’s. Another wall stands on the West end – built to protect goods and cargo transported by rail from flooding, but allowing rainwater to accumulated on Arlington Street in the process.
“So it’s like a pool,” inquired Senator Rod Wright. Moreno says that’s exactly what happens, and he and his neighbors are sick of it. Edison has provided residents with financial support as they try to replace flooring, furniture and electronics – but the drain will need to be expanded to prevent future flooding. Even then, the two walls surrounding Arlington Street will still turn the area into a bathtub during storms. To add insult to injury, holes in the Edison wall empty rainwater into some residents’ backyards as it exits the electric company’s property.
“We’re all here,” Furutani said of he and the other members of the Long Beach Legislative Delegation. He also pointed out that most are new to their positions and have not been aware of the conditions leading to the flooding. Arlington Street has flooded seven times in 22 years.
“This is the most important issue in the Long Beach area,” said Lowenthal. “It’s the first issue we’re going to focus on.”
Reyes Uranga went so far as to promise that flooding would not occur again. But wary residents have heard that before.
Robert Alvarez grew up on Arlington Street for the first twenty years of his life. He now owns the house he grew up in, and was renting the space to tenants when the flooding forced him to gut the inside in order to replace walls and flooring. Edison paid to put the tenants in a hotel, and Alvarez says there’s nothing left to do but rebuild.
“I used to play in the fields in the back [Ed note: now Edison property], and it never flooded,” he said. Alvarez also believes that the storm drain is not large enough to handle the water, which clogs during storms. “It does seem like there’s a connection between the drain and the walls.”
By Ryan ZumMallen, Managing Editor