Some residents of Wichita retirement community displaced from homes after flooding

Some residents of a west Wichita retirement community were displaced Thursday night after an underground water line flooded their living spaces.

There are multiple buildings on the LakePoint Wichita campus at 1315 North West Street and many residents were able to be placed elsewhere there, said executive director Michael Cole. He added the owners of the property have other facilities in Wichita to help support them. LakePoint Wichita offers independent and assisted living.

The Wichita Fire Department told a media outlet that nearly 100 residents would be displaced. Cole said that number is “not quite accurate,” but he did not want to say how many were displaced or had to be moved elsewhere, citing privacy for the residents.

“If it affects one person, it’s too many,” he said Friday afternoon.

The Wichita Fire Department was called about the flooding at 11:41 p.m. Thursday. The water leak originated underground. Wichita Public Works and Utilities also responded and “shut off the valve to the private fire line just after midnight,” city spokesperson Megan Lovely said.

Cole said they had a contractor arrive an hour after calling them to fix the problem.

“We’re still investigating the cause of everything. When something is below ground it is hard to locate,” he said, adding he didn’t have a timeline yet for when everything would be fixed. “We are working to do what is best for residents.”