A family that was flooded out of its East N Street home about the same time two years ago by what was then described as a “75-year storm” had to evacuate early Wednesday when 2 feet of stormwater flowed into their house and garage.

Todd Willis, a local Realtor, his wife, Christy, and their three children were awakened at 3:20 a.m. Wednesday by a neighbor who called to warn them about the rush of water.

“It’s happened again,” a discouraged Christy Willis said as she waited in her car for city employees and insurance representatives to arrive at the damaged house.

“It looks like a rushing river,” she said.

The last time the home flooded, city officials and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), with which the city has insurance, provided housing for the family at the Best Western hotel and a rental home during the 10 months it took to repair the house.

City employees told the Willises at that time that they had experienced an unusual “75-year storm” that had damaged the house.

She said they assured her that a return of flood waters would be rare. “The city said it’s not going to happen all the time,” she said.

However, after the Willises purchased their 1972 Walt Carter-built house 15 years ago, the family found out that their home had been built in a creek bed and over a 36-inch storm drain.

That’s something Christy said wasn’t disclosed when they closed on the house. Instead, they learned about it when they were denied permission to build a backyard pool.

They also have been denied flood insurance, Christy said.

Two years ago, water came into the first floor, as it did this year. The Willises called City Hall. Pacific Gas and Electric turned off the house’s utilities, and the family was told the house should not have been built on the site.

The experience two years ago was traumatic for the entire family, which lost everything that was on the first floor.

But the family’s youngest son, then 5, had the most trouble handling the situation, Christy said. “My son didn’t want to go anywhere,” she said. “He wouldn’t take off his rain boots.” In fact, he refused to wear any other type of footwear for nearly a year, and was in therapy about the same time.

Now 7, he’s re-experienced a flood in his home. He saw the family Christmas tree fall, then rushed to his bed and didn’t want to leave, she said.

The couple’s teen children, a 13-year-old son and a 15-year-old daughter, have been silent about the situation, Christy said.

All three of the children are staying with their 27-year-old sister, who also is caring for the family’s two dogs, a Yorkshire terrier and a poodle, who were in their kennels when the house flooded.

The dogs “almost drowned,” Christy said.

She said she has gotten a better response from various Benicia departments this time around. The American Red Cross offered housing, but the city has found them accommodations.

“We have the Willis family at the Best Western again,” City Attorney Heather McLaughlin said Wednesday afternoon.

“Though it is too soon to know if it is the city’s fault that the flooding occurred, I arranged for rooms for them as soon as I found out this morning,” McLaughlin said.

“We are investigating the cause of the flooding, and at this point can’t say how much, if any, is the city’s responsibility. As you know cities typically have immunity for claims related to the issuance of building permits.”

However, the city sent its head risk management representatives to the scene, she said.

McLaughlin said in the past, Benicia has purchased property that had flooding problems caused by certain city pipes.

“We will investigate this particular set of circumstances and figure out what is appropriate,” she said.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Christy said as she waited for inspectors to arrive Wednesday. “We’ve lost everything that was downstairs — anything that wasn’t in the bedroom.”

That includes clothing, since the family usually does its washing on the weekend. The laundry had been stored in the garage, which was flooded even worse than the house.

She acknowledged the city’s response this time around, adding that two years ago, “Nobody came.”

Graham Wadsworth, Benicia Public Works director and city engineer, said his department’s maintenance crews responded to the flooding Wednesday morning, and that he is gathering information on the situation.

“One thing I can answer is that anybody in Benicia can purchase flood insurance through their insurance carrier. The city participates in the FEMA National Flood Insurance Program, so insurance carriers can write policies for property owners in Benicia,” he said.

Christy Willis said she knows one thing — she doesn’t want to return to the house. “It’s not safe there.”

She said her children “are devastated. They’re scared.” While she said she’s grateful her family is all right, “This is the worst thing ever.”

She said the family has money to clothe the children and replace the shoes that had to be left behind when they evacuated the flooded house. But she dreads the uncertainty her family is facing.

“We love the house,” she said. “I thought we could manage.”