Valley’s Economy Can Rebound From Quake : Government, insurance money for recovery will have a multiplier effect by generating jobs, need for housing. But residents, leaders must remain united in determining area’s destiny.

The dishes in the sink clink and rattle with less frequency. The crack in the sewer line under the house has a temporary fix. My bumps and bruises ache a little less, and I have had time to reflect on how lucky I was to come through the quake virtually unscathed.

So now, like so many others in the L.A. Basin, my thoughts turn to the future. Many now ask, is Mother Nature really telling me it is time to throw in the towel and head for less volatile and maybe even greener pastures?

I am a native Angeleno. I grew up in Sun Valley and spent most of my adult life in the San Fernando Valley. My business depends largely on the economic robustness of that Valley, and I have no intention of going elsewhere.

This is not based on foolish loyalty to geographic ties or desire to be near old friends. I am fully cognizant of the need for the economic well-being of the Valley if I am to continue in my chosen profession, pay my bills and keep a roof over my head. While I have strong ties to the Valley, emotional and economic, those links do not outweigh my need to provide for my family and myself.

With that in mind, I have taken a hard look at what the future holds for me and my fellow Angelenos in the months and years after the Northridge quake. I believe its economic impact will have three phases.

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In the first phase, the Valley’s economy will suffer greatly. Stores and businesses will be closed as proprietors repair damage and wait for supplies. People will not be working while looking for basic shelter.

There will be congestion and disruption due to freeway closures. Funds will be drained replacing damaged or lost merchandise. Productivity will be lost as people struggle to put their personal and professional lives back in order.

The second phase will begin soon after the first, perhaps as early as this week. It will consist of rebuilding the infrastructure that was destroyed as well as a restoration and revitalization of the Valley’s economic infrastructure.

Federal aid will begin to be available, and insurance companies will begin compensating for losses. Money will be available to restock and rebuild.

The San Fernando Valley is far too important to the regional economy of Southern California be allowed to founder. The Golden State Freeway has been referred to in local broadcasts as the state’s “umbilical cord.” It is also the gateway to Los Angeles from the north.

The Antelope Valley Freeway and Interstate 5 will be rebuilt as quickly as humanly possible, reconnecting the Valley to Santa Clarita, Newhall, Palmdale, Valencia and beyond.

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Cleanup and repair efforts will create short-term construction work, as well as a boom for suppliers of needed materials. People will replace what was lost in the quake, although possibly not as quickly, depending on the availability of earthquake insurance and federal disaster relief. Those dollars that are available will have a multiplier effect on the local economy, generating new jobs in service industries as well as creating the need for housing and real estate development.

The third phase of the Valley’s economic recovery is linked to the desire of those who live and work in the Valley and their elected leaders--state, local and federal--to continue taking the necessary steps to improve their economic well-being.

After the short-term infusion of federal relief funds and insurance reimbursements, the success of the Valley’s economic recovery will depend on the continuation of its ability to determine its own destiny.

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Subsequent to the 1992 civil disturbances, groups such as the Valley Industry and Commerce Assn.’s Revitalize the San Fernando Valley Subcommittee and the San Fernando Valley Unity Coalition realized no one was going to help the Valley unless the Valley helped itself.

Federal and state representatives must seek whatever relief funds are available. Residents and businesses can make sure local elected officials continue the procedures already begun to streamline the permitting process and make government more user-friendly.

Or they can revert to the divisiveness, “NIMBYism” and provincial self-interest protectionism that lead to the economic downturn from which we just started to recover.