EARTHQUAKE: THE LONG ROAD BACK : Commuters Back to Work; Simi Water Declared Safe : Recovery: A week after the quake, progress toward normalcy gains momentum. Yet thousands more visit disaster relief centers.

Commuters returned to work and Simi Valley’s water was declared safe to drink Monday as Ventura County lurched back toward normalcy a week after the huge Northridge earthquake staggered the region.

Ridership was 15% higher than usual on the county’s Metrolink trains to Downtown Los Angeles, and car-pools were so popular that some commuters said their drives were smoother than before the 6.6-magnitude quake struck last Monday.

“We keep looking for heavier traffic every morning, and we just haven’t seen it,” said Thousand Oaks resident Rita Romano, whose 5:45 a.m. van-pool commute to Los Angeles took only 35 minutes. The evening rush-hour return took the usual 60 minutes, she said.

With a similar Downtown destination, Frank Valdez of Simi Valley said his 12-person van reached work in 70 minutes despite a 12-mile detour around a fallen portion of the Simi Valley Freeway.

“Our commute was just like normal except for the detour,” Valdez said. “My wife rides the Metrolink to Burbank, and she said the trains were full.”

But evening commutes were not hassle-free, since Metrolink trains bound for Ventura County were bulging for most of the trip with San Fernando Valley residents determined to avoid the snarls created by portions of closed freeway.

“The ride in was pleasant, the ride back was not,” said Dave Koch of Simi Valley. He said he arrived at the Burbank Metrolink station at 4 p.m., waited for an hour as security police held back anxious boarders, and finally arrived home at 6 p.m.

Some commuters also reported evening tie-ups at the junction of the Moorpark and Ventura freeways in Thousand Oaks.

Meanwhile, about 2,000 more quake victims streamed to federal disaster relief offices in Simi Valley and Fillmore to fill out applications or make appointments to meet with aid workers.

About 5,700 quake victims have visited the centers since Thursday, including a small percentage who have come to Simi Valley from Los Angeles County because of the shorter processing time, officials said.

Aid officials said lines moved more quickly Monday because there were more relief workers on the job and a shorter application form is being used in response to complaints about delays.

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Several developments around a still-jittery Ventura County were promising Monday:

* Simi Valley officials were notified by state health officials that residents can drink their tap water without boiling it first. But supplies depleted by pipeline breaks remained low, and outdoor watering was prohibited until further notice.

* The federal government and the Red Cross mailed hundreds of checks and vouchers to Ventura County quake victims for emergency housing after several frustrating days of delays. The first checks were issued Sunday, with Federal Emergency Management Agency officials saying that 100 to 200 checks were mailed to Ventura County applicants.

Red Cross officials in Fillmore said they had paid two to three months’ rent for 100 families in Fillmore, but only a few of the 140 families that received Red Cross food and clothing in Simi Valley requested emergency housing.

* State agencies that regulate mobile home parks agreed to waive a $120 inspection fee for coaches damaged during the quake. Between 500 and 600 coaches have been red-tagged as being too damaged to enter in Simi Valley and 117 in Fillmore.

* Ventura County and Thousand Oaks were preparing emergency ordinances for meetings Tuesday to provide earthquake relief, including waiving fees for rebuilding. The Simi Valley city manager made a similar move last week, and ratification is expected by the council.

Unlike the mood at disaster centers in the San Fernando Valley, good spirits and good deeds continued to characterize federal and Red Cross aid centers in Fillmore and Simi Valley, aid workers said Monday.

In Simi, for example, child psychologist and Red Cross volunteer Judy Welch rallied young children who had lived for a week at a shelter by asking them to draw their old shattered homes and the new ones they are hoping for.

“It was my house,” said 12-year-old Danielle Maston as she drew. “I want to remember it.”

In Fillmore, individual donors and church organizations have contributed up to 15,000 pounds of food for quake victims, said Barbara Taylor, a parishioner at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, where a federal relief center is located.

A Thousand Oaks woman arrived with food after overhearing another shopper at an Oxnard outlet store discuss the needs of earthquake victims, Taylor said.

“She had never been to Fillmore before, but she followed this woman with her truck loaded with food and ended up spending the day volunteering,” Taylor said.

A Southern Baptist group from Missouri also showed up at a Red Cross center at Fillmore Middle School Sunday and began serving three meals a day to 400 quake victims. For lunch they cooked chili in large metal vats.

“We do this all the time. We’re happy to help,” said Gary Morrow, a plumber.

Three Fillmore Middle School students--Anthony Camarillo, Lupe Flores and Frank Venegas--were lauded by their principal for volunteering to sleep outside on mats next to donated food to chase away thieves who threatened the Red Cross food supplies Sunday night.

Frank, 14, continues to stand guard “because we need to save the people,” he said.

While efforts to aid earthquake victims continued, local officials continued to tally their losses.

With inspections completed in Fillmore, officials said 517 buildings sustained moderate or severe damage, including 198 red-tagged as extremely dangerous. Of the most seriously damaged, 117 are mobile homes, 53 are other types of residences and 28 are businesses, officials said.

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In Simi Valley, more that 1,100 damaged buildings had been inspected by Sunday evening, and officials said the tally of structures with moderate or severe damage rose from 376 on Saturday to 482 Sunday evening.

Of that, 417 had moderate damage and their safety was questionable. Sixty-seven were red-tagged. Inspectors have yet to reach at least 2,000 buildings that owners have reported as being significantly damaged.

Between 500 and 600 severely damaged mobile homes are not included in the city tally because a state agency has jurisdiction over them.

Monday brought a breakthrough of sorts for mobile-home owners.

State Sen. Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley) said that Gov. Pete Wilson told her over the weekend that he would agree to waive the $120 state inspection fee.

“The governor agreed with me that charging this kind of money is crazy when we’re talking about elderly people in mobile homes,” Wright said.

Wright is hoping to speed the process by getting inspectors to open temporary offices in Simi Valley and Fillmore.

Two such offices opened in Los Angeles County today, but none have been arranged for Ventura County, she said.

“My office is trying to get ahold of one of the mobile units,” Wright said. “We’d like to get it going as fast as possible.”

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Times Staff Writer Sara Catania and correspondents Maia Davis and Scott Hadly contributed to this article.

How to Help

Ventura County residents who want to help earthquake victims may contact the following agencies:

* The American Red Cross is seeking volunteer nurses and financial donations. Send checks made out to “American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund” to P.O. Box 5850, Ventura, CA 93005. Information: 339-2234.

* The Salvation Army is requesting bottled water, tents, blankets, cots, sleeping bags, packaged food, diapers and toys. Financial donations marked “Earthquake” may be sent to the Salvation Army, 900 W. 9th St., Los Angeles, CA 90015. For credit card donations and assistance, call (800) 725-9005. Items can be delivered to 155 S. Oak St., Ventura. Information: 648-5031.

* Catholic Charities is accepting money, blankets, tarps and plastic, non-perishable food and clothing, including warm jackets and sweaters, at four locations: 798 E. Thompson Blvd., Ventura (643-4694); 402 N. A St., Oxnard (486-2900); 80 E. Hillcrest Drive, Suite 216, Thousand Oaks (496-1113), and 77 1st St., Moorpark (529-0720).

* The Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce, Lutheran Social Services and the city of Thousand Oaks need bedding, sleeping bags, blankets and sheets, flashlights and batteries, diapers, tents or tarps, personal hygiene items, first aid supplies, bottled water and food for Conejo Valley and Simi Valley residents. Supplies are being collected at 80 Hillcrest Drive, Suite 215, Thousand Oaks. Information: 497-6207.

* Food Share Inc., 4156 N. Southbank Road, Oxnard, is accepting bottled water, non-perishable food and money. Information: 647-3944 or 983-7100.

* The United Way is providing referrals to various Ventura County agencies for those needing assistance or seeking to offer help. The United Way is also accepting financial donations. Checks made out to “United Way Earthquake Relief Fund” can be sent to United Way of Ventura County, 1339 Del Norte Road, Camarillo, CA 93010. Information: 485-6288.