2nd Southland Disaster a New Test for FEMA

The Los Angeles riots of 1992 were the first civil disturbances in history to be declared an official disaster, triggering a massive relief effort by the Federal Emergency Management Agency that has been clouded by accusations of incompetence and unfairness.

Eighteen months after the riots, in the wake of devastating wildfires, the federal disaster agency--which has been revamped and has a new chief--has set up shop again, prompting questions about what lessons have been learned and whether the fire victims of 1993 will fare better than the riot victims of 1992.

The two disasters could not be more different. One was a civil disturbance that obliterated entire blocks of businesses in the city’s poorest neighborhoods, the other a siege of infernos that consumed mostly homes in idyllic, affluent canyons.

Likewise, the two sets of victims have different needs and will require different kinds of assistance, experts say.

But the bottom-line issue is the same: Can the government come through for its citizens in their direst need?

So far, FEMA is receiving good marks. Many local and state officials who went through the riots say the agency’s performance this time is far smoother and more humane. Part of the improvement can be ascribed to lessons learned after the 1991 Oakland Hills fires and part to the more familiar problems posed by a natural disaster as compared to civil unrest.

Fire victims, for the most part, report positive experiences.

“I feel real happy with everything that has happened so far; I’ve been treated very nicely,” said David Sabiroff, 46, a sculptor whose rented South Laguna Beach studio and home were destroyed in the first round of wildfires that struck the Southland.

Sabiroff’s studio--and 12 to 15 pieces of irreplaceable artwork--went up in flames on Oct. 27; two days later he called FEMA’s toll-free number to register for disaster assistance. On Tuesday, he received a $2,400 check to pay for temporary housing for himself and his wife.

“Everybody’s been real super,” Sabiroff said. “What’s going to be hard though, is when the immediate stuff ends, when the Red Cross closes up and moves out, when everybody is back to business as usual and there are still people ragged around the edges from the fire. What’s going to happen then?”

Indeed, it will take months before an accurate assessment can be made of the government’s response to the fire disaster. Veterans of the riots say fire victims may encounter roadblocks in trying to prove their losses.

“There are still critical changes that need to occur in the regulation of policy guidelines to ensure that FEMA is always prepared to deal with a disaster,” said Cynthia Robbins, director of Urban Recovery Legal Assistance, a legal services program launched last year to help riot victims. “Until then, there will always be the risk of arbitrary decision-making, with different outcomes for similarly situated people.”

Many residents of fire-damaged communities say they have seen little evidence of FEMA’s presence, despite promises by officials that they would mount a vigorous outreach effort. And some observers doubt that FEMA programs--most designed to aid victims who have little economic means by which to recover on their own--will effectively serve the fire victims, who are generally more affluent.

Jaime Suarez is a 48-year-old Pasadena real estate broker who lost his home in the fire. He said he is underinsured for the losses he has suffered.

Suarez said he was persuaded to apply for federal aid after a chance meeting at a Red Cross shelter with Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). Suarez said he was assured by officials that he could qualify for funds to make up the difference in his insurance coverage.

However, his visit to a disaster application center produced only disappointment and uncertainty.

“At the Red Cross, they were talking about grants being available, but after talking to officials here they seem to be saying all I’ll qualify for are loans,” said Suarez, after leaving the Arcadia disaster center.

With losses from fire damage expected to reach $1 billion, federal officials still have not indicated how much money will be made available for recovery and cleanup efforts. President Clinton this week announced that $15 million would be advanced to the state to partially cover firefighting costs.

In response to the Malibu fires, FEMA opened disaster centers over the weekend at the Calabasas High School gymnasium and the Los Angeles County sheriff’s station in Malibu. Centers had already opened in Arcadia, Laguna Beach, Camarillo and Murietta in Riverside County.

Fire victims are eligible for temporary housing assistance, mortgage and rental assistance, disaster unemployment insurance, low-interest loans for rebuilding homes and businesses and grants of up to $12,200 to meet disaster-related needs not covered by other federal aid programs.

To date, the centers have received more than 1,500 applications for assistance. In some cases, checks have been dispatched to victims within two days of application.

But the agency did not have figures on how many fire victims have been approved for assistance and how many have been refused.

Local officials say such information is crucial in determining how effectively the government aid programs are working.

After last year’s riot disaster, 50% to 60% of all applications for aid were denied, forming the basis for a class-action lawsuit alleging that the agency illegally denied riot victims relief.

The lawsuit claimed that FEMA “arbitrarily and restrictively interpreted eligibility requirements and required excessive verification and documentation beyond that required” by federal laws.

Betty Holiday, 51, a plaintiff in the lawsuit, applied for disaster aid after her paralegal and credit repair business near Pico Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue went up in flames on the second day of rioting.

Holiday said FEMA gave her contradictory instructions about what information was needed to support her application. Eventually, she was ruled ineligible for aid.

She struggles now to support herself and her developmentally disabled grandson. But she has been gripped by the recent wildfires.

“I watched the fires and I couldn’t move from my TV set,” Holiday said. “They took me back to the riots and watching my own business burn. If (FEMA) had just helped a little bit I could have gotten back up. But right now I’m pretty fed up with the government.”

FEMA officials have declined to discuss the lawsuit because it is pending. However, FEMA Director James Lee Witt has vowed that fire victims will receive speedy relief.

But people affected by the riots say fire victims will need to be vigilant and should closely monitor the agency’s performance.

“The test is going to be how they follow through,” said Robbins of Urban Recovery Legal Assistance. “I’m hopeful that the new and improved FEMA can also improve the implementation process.”

In many ways, the fire disasters should pose fewer problems for FEMA than did the riot emergency.

The great damage during the riots was sustained largely by businesses, many of which were small, struggling establishments with little or no insurance and often sloppy record-keeping practices.

In many cases, riot victims had difficulty proving that their losses were directly related to the riots. The civil unrest also produced far more complex emotional reactions than the fires did, said those familiar with both disasters.

“With the riots, one of the most difficult parts was the shock to the entire community, that something like that could happen,” said Richard Andrews, director of the state Office of Emergency Services.

“Obviously, the fires produced shock, too, but also an enormous kind of empathy and community rallying. There isn’t the context of anger that both sparked the riots and that was present in the aftermath. All of this makes for a fundamental difference in how the community and government responds.”

Fire victims will have their own set of obstacles to overcome, including questions of insurance claims, rebuilding permits, responsibility for debris removal and replenishment of canyon properties.

But many fire victims will start from a much better position than riot victims.

“Almost all homeowners have insurance because it is required, so there is likely to be much more in the way of insurance assistance,” said Patty Lombard, executive director of the Western Insurance Information Service, an industry group that provides consumer information. “Because of their socioeconomic status, they are likely to be more vocal and much more savvy about making the process work.”

One group representing Altadena fire victims, the Eaton Canyon Recovery Alliance, is already attracting hundreds to its meetings and has won pledges from the U.S. Forest Service to consider reseeding the area and from Pacific Telephone to provide free voice mail for fire victims.

The group’s aims are simple, said organizer James Mc Dannel.

“We want to ensure that the various agencies be held accountable to their commitments.”

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