Quake Relief Effort Picks Up : U.S. Promises $283 Million More Aid to L.A. : Disaster: Number still needing shelter drops as more tent cities are in place. Officials concede they underestimated impact. Meanwhile, Caltrans may install temporary bridges over freeway gaps.

With a reprieve in the weather and a break from unnerving aftershocks, relief and repair efforts accelerated Saturday as tent cities sprang up across the San Fernando Valley and the White House promised an additional $283 million in federal earthquake aid.

Officials preparing for next week’s expected commuter crush also said they are considering whether to erect temporary two-lane bridges over gaps in the Simi Valley and Santa Monica Freeways.

Five days after the Los Angeles area was rocked by a 6.6 magnitude quake, the developments reflect improved delivery of relief services and recognition that the efforts, though sizable, have not been enough to cope with what looms as one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history.

“I don’t think any of us realized the magnitude of it all,” said James Lee Witt, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

With a one-day reprieve from expected rains, the region began the weekend with no major aftershocks, no rise in the death toll of 55 from Monday’s magnitude 6.6 quake, and word that the number of those sleeping in parks and on the streets had decreased by thousands--a sign, perhaps, that those who could return to their homes were doing so.

And amid scenes of tent encampments and rubble-strewn sidewalks were a few signs of life getting back to normal--including joggers taking to the parks and streets.

Still, there were plenty of distressing quake-related statistics amid other developments:

*The number of structures declared uninhabitable in the city climbed to more than 1,600, encompassing 7,421 housing units. Damage to those buildings reached $460 million--a figure that will grow considerably since building inspectors expect to be assessing damage at least for another week.

*In the city of Santa Clarita, more than 1,600 private and public structures were damaged by the quake, and estimated damage costs reached $127.8 million, city officials said. More than 120 buildings had been declared uninhabitable or were open only for occupants to gather belongings--but these numbers, too, were expected to rise in the days to come.

*Estimates of those still sleeping outside in parks and vacant lots dropped to 9,000, compared to 14,500 on Friday. The unseasonably warm weather held on Saturday, but there was a 60% chance of some rain by tonight when temperatures could fall to the low 40s. With rain possible, officials were hurrying to open more tent cities, particularly in the quake-ravaged valley.

*The Los Angeles Unified School District planned to reopen most schools Tuesday. Of 30,000 classrooms, just 300 remained unsafe, virtually all of them in the hard-hit West Valley. School Board President Leticia Quezada said: “My hope is that all children will be able to attend school one way or another” next week.

*About 10,000 households in the northwest San Fernando Valley, mostly in Northridge and Granada Hills, were still without running water Saturday. There were up to 4,000 waterless households in the Santa Clarita Valley, officials there said.

Southern California Gas Co. officials said they have restored service to some 40,000 homes as part of continuing door-to-door sweeps and have identified at least that many more that are still without gas. They also urged customers to shut off gas to any appliances that shifted during the temblor and to avoid shutting off gas to the whole house unless there is a gas leak.

*At an afternoon briefing at Caltech, officials said the aftershock frequency was decreasing. After four aftershocks of magnitude 4 to 4.6 hit Friday in a 20-minute span, only four tremors--all magnitude 3.0 or less--were recorded on Saturday.

*In Los Angeles, officials announced new plans to open seven more emergency assistance shelters by Monday, bringing the total to 20. Gov. Pete Wilson confirmed that state workers beginning Sunday will assist FEMA in manning disaster centers, where quake victims have faced huge lines and long delays in being served.

RECOVERY:

Stung by increasing criticism of red tape, officials defended their relief efforts, proclaiming that they are setting up the largest assistance program in U.S. history to deal with the most damaging earthquake ever centered in a large American city--one where the state has roughly estimated damages could exceed $30 billion.

“We are now dealing with the largest mass assistance of people in an urban area in the history of the United States,” said Henry Cisneros, secretary of federal Housing and Urban Development.

Of the $283 million in new money released Saturday, White House Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers said $140 million will be for Small Business Administration loans and the other $143 million for a range of Federal Emergency Management Agency activities, including individual grants for emergency housing and repair of damaged public facilities.

Counting Saturday’s funds, the Clinton Administration said it has provided $639 million for SBA loans, $41 million for emergency highway repairs, $143 million in new FEMA funds and has speeded up delivery of other federal monies.

In Los Angeles, Cisneros defended the relief effort at a news conference along with Richard Andrews, director of the state Office of Emergency Services, FEMA’s Witt, and Art Agnos, who was mayor of San Francisco when the disastrous Loma Prieta quake struck in 1989.

“This earthquake is at least twice as bad and the response of the state and federal government has been twice as fast,” Agnos said. “In 1989, I never saw the FEMA director until a week later on Larry King Live.”

Moreover, FEMA’s Dick Krimm said the federal government is mindful of how much the state-and particularly Southern California--has endured the past two years in riots, floods, fires and quakes.

“Over the last couple years, we have spent billions of dollars in California,” Krimm said. “Good lord, we are very, very sensitive to the disasters of Southern California.”

Earthquake victims have expressed increasing anger over long lines for relief applications and over the inability of officials to offer tangible aid such as funds for emergency housing and rebuilding.

But disaster officials said they are increasing relief workers and centers, streamlining the application process for aid and sending “outreach” workers to take relief applications wherever victims congregate.

Andrews of the state emergency services agency maintained that disaster workers had reduced the number of quake victims living in parks from 14,000 immediately after the quake to 3,900 by sending outreach workers to talk the campers into going to shelters and relief centers.

But that figure was disputed by city Recreation and Parks Director Jackie Tatum who said 9,000 quake victims were still camped in parks Friday night.

TENT CITIES:

The National Guard set up tent cities throughout the valley Friday night and Saturday, hoping to provide shelter for the newly homeless.

Under bright sunshine, about 150 sweating young men in Army uniforms hauled canvas out of the backs of trucks, pulled on ropes and drove in stakes with sledgehammer-sized wooden mallets at the Winnetka Recreation Center, where hundreds of people, mostly low-income Latinos have been camping out all week.

By evening, officials expected the center would be home to upwards of 1,000 residents.

Guardsmen erected two sizes of olive drab tents and brought in 400-gallon water tank trailers called “water buffaloes.” The large tents can house 30-35 people and the smaller ones can house 20-25 people.

“A lot of people say their homes are fine but they’re scared to go home,” said Guard Lt. Bill Lemna, 27, a Lodi food executive.

At Lanark Park in Canoga Park, another of the tent camps, Spanish-speaking staff of county Supervisor Gloria Molina took families one at a time to their apartments near the park and interpreted the opinions of building inspectors.

Roberto Ortuno, 28, and his wife, Rosa Munoz, 33, stood in the bedroom of their second-floor apartment and heard assurances that the cracks above their bed were cosmetic. They walked outside, past the green tag that declared their building safe, and joined an estimated 750 refugees in canvas tents.

“I think when we have one day without temblors, we’ll come back,” Ortuno said.

Guardsmen also pitched tents Saturday at the Valley Plaza Recreation Center in North Hollywood, and police said they would order quake refugees to use the tents if they planned to remain in the park.

“We’re doing this for security and sanitation reasons,” said Los Angeles police Sgt. George Armenta. “We’re just looking after the welfare of the people.”

But on Saturday afternoon, a rumor spread that immigration officials would come to the park in a few days to round up illegal immigrants. Police and National Guard officials said they did not believe the rumor to be true.

Constantino Jaime, who said he is afraid to return to his apartment at Lankershim and Victory boulevards, has been sleeping in his car since Monday. He said he and his wife and six-month-old daughter would probably stay in a tent instead of a shelter because he prefers to stay outdoors.”

“We are out here for the baby,” he said. “We’ve been back to the apartment to get clothes and other things, but no one is there so we are afraid to return.”

PRICE-GOUGING WARNING:

Los Angeles County officials were vowing to enforce an emergency ordinance barring merchants and contractors from raising prices more than 10% above pre-disaster levels. The new price-gouging law--similar to one already in force in the city of Los Angeles--was passed Friday by county supervisors.

Those convicted of jacking up prices face penalties of up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine, according to Los Angeles County sheriff’s Dep. Angie McLaughlin, who said citizens could report suspected price-gouging at their local sheriff’s station.

City officials announced Friday that they had cited about 100 San Fernando Valley merchants who were targets of price-gouging complaints under the city ordinance passed after the 1992 riots. City officials were taking complaints on a price-gouging hot line, (800) 897 6677.

There were several reports Saturday of Valley plumbing supply stores and even scalpers on foot charging $20 or more for strands of flexible pipe for water heaters that ordinarily cost $6 to $8.

Officials with the Southland Corp.--who Friday said they would terminate the franchises of eight 7-Eleven Store operators in the San Fernando Valley for price-gouging--joined in earthquake relief efforts and image repair.

Company officials said they sent employees to a food giveaway in Pacoima with milk, toilet paper, juice and milk, and a banner proclaiming: “Don’t let one bad apple spoil 7-Eleven image.”

RELIEF EFFORTS GROW:

Other businesses and government agencies joined in relief efforts, including the Los Angeles County Fire Department, which began distributing free plastic sheeting and nails to Santa Clarita Valley residents to protect damaged buildings.

“The rain is going to be the next major situation out here,” said county fire inspector Mark Savage, adding that the sheeting will be available at all seven county fire stations in the Santa Clarita Valley from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the next several days.

Other help took the form of individual acts of kindness. Andrea and Neal Geyer of Agoura couldn’t stand sitting in their lightly damaged home, watching their children eat warm oatmeal and watch Barney on TV, while earthquake victims slept outdoors.

They took their old baby clothes, salsa, baby food and formula from nearby stores, and drove to Winnetka Recreation Center.

The couple wheeled a shopping cart through the park and with a mixture of broken Spanish and English matched what they had with what people needed.

“We’re just doing what we can,” said Neal Geyer, whose leather business was trashed in the quake. “It’s totally Third World. When you see it on television, that’s exactly what it looks like--the Third World.”

Others showed up to lend a helping hand, including Jake Jaroszewski, 37, an employee of Baxter Health Care, who drove up with a truckload of donated goods.

Officer Tony Jett of the Los Angeles Police Department stood beside the truck and shook his head in wonderment. “Trucks are driving up with all kinds of stuff--food, clothing, water, all the necessities. It’s so positive it’s unbelievable, people coming together to help other people,” he said.

As he spoke, a large yellow van drove up and out jumped Jay Lenhoff, 37, director of operations for the Tony Roma’s restaurant chain. The rear of the truck swung open and a team of Roma’s volunteers began unloading tables, portable barbeques, crates of chicken, beans, cole slaw and soda pop. “We’ve got enough food here for 2,000 people,” Lenhoff said.

At Lanark Park, officials were all but overwhelmed by a bumper crop of relief supplies, and tried to divert donors to other parks.

“Now we have out-of-control Good Samaritans,” said Larry Mellon, of the city Department of Recreation and Parks.

ROADS:

Mindful that nothing else can return to normal if Los Angeles’ roads are in ruin, transportation officials said considering the possibility of erecting temporary bridges on two crippled freeways critical to the region--the Simi Valley and the Santa Monica.

The makeshift structures would allow a partial flow of motorists on one side of the roadway while workers constructed the permanent structure on the other.

In other developments, Caltrans officials reopened all connectors between the Ventura and Glendale freeways Saturday.

To aid Southern Californians, The Times today provides a special guide to coping with the aftermath of Monday’s quake and preparing for the next one, Section U.

* Related Coverage: A3-9, B1-2, B4, B6, B8, B17, B22-24

Times staff writers Myron Levin and Greg Krikorian and special correspondent Geoffrey Mohan contributed to this report.