Congress Gets Earthquake Plan

Four federal agencies, saying that most of the nation--not just the West--can be hit by earthquakes, sent to Congress today a detailed five-year plan on ways it seeks to cut quake damage and loss of life.

The plan, coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, envisions spending $363 million for such things as earthquake prediction research, assessment of earthquake hazards, research in design of structures and developing codes for construction, preparations for disasters, and fundamental studies into the causes of earthquakes. The agencies propose to spend $70 million in this and the next fiscal year and slightly more in the following three years.