EARTHQUAKE: THE LONG ROAD BACK : Residential Area, Library Suffer Most of Damage : Thousand Oaks: All 188 homes in a gated community are hit. But officials say the city was fortunate.

Building inspectors and private contractors in Thousand Oaks moved house to house through an exclusive gated community hit by some of the city’s most serious earthquake damage Thursday as officials continued to assess losses at the Thousand Oaks Library.

The quake caused more than $1-million damage to city property, Senior City Financial Analyst Stacy Park estimated. She said she had not determined the total cost of the quake to the city and its residents.

As the damage assessment continued, some Thousand Oaks residents remained jittery from the quake and its aftershocks. Some families in the exclusive Chanteclair Estates spent their third straight night sleeping outside in cars and tents.

But for most of Thousand Oaks, Thursday was a time to return to normal schedules in a city whose officials expressed relief at having--for the most part--avoided serious damage from the earthquake.

“The prevailing thought here is how fortunate we were to come through this as well as we did,” Councilman Frank Schillo said. “The whole of Thousand Oaks was not treated evenly, but for the most part we feel fortunate.”

City officials said the majority of the damage was limited to the Thousand Oaks Library and the gated community where all 188 homes were damaged.

One of the $400,000 homes at Chanteclair Estates in northeast Thousand Oaks was deemed unsafe Wednesday and three more were expected to be closed by week’s end.

Some homeowners in the community said they believe the damage, which was the most significant residential quake damage in Thousand Oaks, may have been the result of poor construction or design.

“We’ve had contractors out here since the earthquake and they’re finding problems with the way parts of these houses were put together,” said Wanda Rusch, a board member for the community homeowner association.

Several of the community’s residents have been forced from their homes, which have cracked walls, damaged garage doors and crumbling masonry.

“I can’t stay in a place that’s not safe,” said Lee Sanders, whose home was found unsafe by Thousand Oaks building inspectors Wednesday.

“I’ve got to gather up all the things we need and we’re going to have to find somewhere else to live,” Sanders said. “It’s amazing--I’m 42 years old and everything I’ve got is gone in 50 seconds.”

For others, even though damage was less severe, safety could only be found outdoors.

“My kids in particular didn’t feel comfortable sleeping inside,” said Debbie Moore, whose son and daughter slept in tents Wednesday night. “Considering what we went through, I think it will take a little time before we’re comfortable again.”

Brian Hodge, who recently moved to the area from Toronto, said he’s ready to brave Canada’s winter again.

“Until Monday morning, this was the greatest place on Earth,” Hodge said. “This kind of shook us into reality.”

But unlike the exclusive community near Sunset Hills Boulevard, most of Thousand Oaks escaped the quake with minor damage. According to Mayor Elois Zeanah, who toured the city after the quake, the bulk of the damage came inside homes, where people reported losing glassware, crystal and valuable antiques.

About 20 inspectors worked all day Thursday checking cracked walls and fallen chimneys to determine which homes were safe.

“Mostly we saw problems with fireplaces and some damage to some older homes,” said Barry Branagan, director of building safety. “There are a lot of nervous people out their.”

Branagan said six homes in Thousand Oaks had been deemed unsafe and several others were posted as “limited entry” until damage could be repaired.

Damage to commercial property was light, Branagan said.

At the Thousand Oaks Library, however, falling steel ceiling panels ruptured water lines and crushed books and shelves. There too, city inspectors are looking into the possibility that design or construction flaws may have contributed to the damage.

“We’re having people come in to evaluate what the problem was with the ceiling,” City Manager Grant Brimhall said. “It looks as though the ceiling caused the bulk of the damage.”

But Brimhall said that as fire crews began cleaning the library, the damage appeared to be less severe than originally feared.

A new computer system, installed the day before the earthquake, was working despite being sprayed with water. And books from the library’s collection were being transferred to the Newbury Park Library a few miles away.

“The best news is that the library appears to be structurally sound,” Brimhall said.

Brimhall said the city had not decided whether to take further action against the Los Angeles-based firm that designed the library. Thousand Oaks has already sued Alber C. Martin & Associates for alleged flaws in the $9-million building’s roof and ducts.

The quake also caused problems for La Reina High School, a private Catholic school on West Janss Road.

The school was forced to close 10 classrooms after falling ceiling panels released asbestos into the building.

“We were always told that the asbestos wouldn’t be a problem if nothing shook it up, but now something has shaken it up,” said the school’s principal, Sister M. Lisa Megaffin.

“We’re making do by holding classes in the cafeteria, and the library and anywhere else we can find space,” Megaffin said. “We’re hoping we can have it fixed by next Friday.”

Megaffin said the damage would cost the school about $25,000 to repair. The nonprofit school is attempting to raise the money through private donations.

“It’s going to be difficult for us,” Megaffin said. “But we’re just thankful it wasn’t more serious here. We were very fortunate.”

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