Center in Acton Spells Relief for Storm Victims : Disaster: Federal, state and local agencies offer services to 20 people who show up on its first day of operation.

The placard on the door of the turquoise-trimmed portable classroom belied the orderly proceedings inside. “Disaster Application Center,” it read.

Twenty people showed up Monday on the first day of operation for the disaster relief center in Acton where representatives from federal, state and local agencies offered an array of services from psychological counseling to unemployment benefits.

“What we have here is basically one-stop shopping for disaster relief assistance,” said Stef Donev, spokesman for the state Office of Emergency Services. “You tell me what you lost, we can tell you where to go to get it fixed.”

The relief center, in the High Desert School at 3620 Antelope Woods Road, was opened after President Clinton declared all of Los Angeles County a disaster area due to the recent storms, thus making residents who had storm-related problems eligible for federal assistance.

There was something for everybody, it seemed.

For those who couldn’t get to work because the storms washed out roads and driveways, the state Employment Development Department provides unemployment benefits.

For people whose homes were made uninhabitable, the Federal Emergency Management Agency offers housing assistance.

Low-interest loans and grants are available through state and federal agencies to residents and business owners to help pay for storm-related repairs to homes, cars and firms.

Even the tax people had encouraging words to those with storm damage, telling people that they can claim storm damages on their 1992 taxes, even though the losses were incurred this year.

“If they waited until next year to file, they wouldn’t get the money back until 1994,” said Barry Gilbert, an auditor with the state Franchise Tax Board.

There are rules to the deduction. The claim must exceed 10% of adjusted gross income, Gilbert said, and insurance monies would be deducted from that.

Even psychologists were on hand to evaluate people’s mental health.

“Surprisingly, people seem to be fine,” said Sandra Applegate of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, who did not note any unhealthy levels of depression, anxiety or fear among the people who visited the center Monday.

“Up here, especially, they’ve felt very together, almost lighthearted, and they’re dealing with it very well,” she said. “It’s almost as if they’re used to it.”

That is in contrast to some people she met at a similar West Los Angeles disaster application center who were “very uptight” after the storms.

“Maybe people in the country really are a lot less uptight than the people in the city,” Applegate said.

All of the assistance comes as a welcome relief to Linda and Ron Hawley, who estimate that their Mint Canyon home off Sierra Highway suffered at least $20,000 in damage.

“The storm screwed us up for about half a week, so we couldn’t get out and we couldn’t go to work,” Linda Hawley said, flipping through a dozen photographs showing a river at her doorstep and a mud line on her living room walls that gave evidence of flooding four inches deep.

“We came in here to try to get some money to help fix our house,” she said, shuffling through a sheaf of forms. “Like anything, though, there’s an awful lot of paper to fill out.”

The center will remain open at least until Saturday. For more information, call (800) 462-9029. Telecommunications devices for the deaf are available at (800) 462-7585.