Residents of a West Hollywood retirement community are searching for shelter after being displaced by flooding. Jane Yamamoto reports for the NBC4 News at 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 19, 2015.
Residents of a West Hollywood senior living home were relocated after flooding forced 150 people to evacuate early Sunday, authorities said.
The 134-unit apartment building in the 800 block of West Knoll Drive was flooded by heavy rain after most of the building’s roof was removed to install solar panels, according to LA County Fire.
One-hundred residents found other places to stay, but the remaining 50 were temporarily relocated to a Red Cross emergency shelter while the city searched for a more permanent solution.
"Our biggest challenge is getting 50 people from their homes to a safe refuge area," said Randall Wright of the LA County Fire Department.
Those residents were bused to hotels Sunday afternoon, while some too frail to walk were taken in ambulances.
The senior living home is government-assisted housing, and many of its residents, like Margaret Buchinskaya’s grandmother Rosa, are Russian immigrants.
"She says it’s very depressing and unexpected," Buchinskaya said.
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While officials assess the damage to the building, it may be several weeks until residents are able to return to home, according to West Hollywood City Manager Paul Arevalo.
