EARTHQUAKE: THE ROAD TO RECOVERY : Computer Bugs Hamstring Inspectors Hired by FEMA

Dozens of field inspectors assigned to survey quake-damaged homes and assess the need for disaster aid have been stranded in the field with nothing to do because of glitches in the computerized inspection process.

A Florida-based firm hired by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to conduct inspections has been bedeviled by a variety of software and programming problems that are delaying damage assessments at hundreds of homes and buildings, said David Goldsmith, an official with the firm.

FEMA officials said Friday that they were unaware of the delays, which slow the delivery of aid to victims, but are looking into problems being experienced by Vulcan Disaster Services.

Mike Polny, FEMA’s deputy coordinating officer, said the computer system was shut down for a 48-hour period last week to expand its capacity, idling about half the 1,300 inspectors hired to assess damage. Since then, there have been no problems as serious as those reported by Vulcan, Polny said.

Nearly 52,000 homes have been inspected since the Jan. 17 quake, with 19,000 inspections completed in the last two days, Polny said.

“The rate of production is increasing daily,” said Polny.

The inspectors use hand-held computer terminals to enter damage information while touring disaster sites. With a push of a button, the information is fed into a central computer bank in Redwood City, where it is processed and checks are dispatched to disaster victims.

The system was widely used for the first time during the last year’s Southland firestorms. Even those inspectors who are critical of the quake effort concede that when working properly the system can save paperwork and time.

However, inspectors say many computers are not receiving data--names and addresses of quake victims--that would direct them to their jobs.

Goldsmith said about 50 of Vulcan’s 750 inspectors have been experiencing problems but that technicians were working to solve difficulties.

“There are some people we are still having problems with, whether it be with computer software or the transfer of information, but by and large the system is up and running now,” Goldsmith said. “Hopefully, we didn’t delay in any significant way the response to this disaster.”

One inspector contended that the problem is far more widespread than Vulcan acknowledges.

“We had a group meeting Thursday and that is when I really realized the extent of the problem,” said the inspector, who asked that his name not be used. “We have 700 people in this company and maybe 300 of that number have never received any appointments to go out and inspect because of the problems. Just seeing this happen is frustrating and, as a taxpayer, makes me mad. People that are supposed to be getting the help are not getting it.”

The frustration was evident among the scores of inspectors who gathered Friday morning at Vulcan’s makeshift headquarters, a small motel on a busy strip of Sepulveda Boulevard in Van Nuys.

The inspectors queued up to have computers checked by technicians and to receive instructions. They represented a wide spectrum of professions--city and county building inspectors, architects, insurance adjusters and general contractors, many with extensive experience in construction and damage assessment. They said they are being reimbursed for living expenses but their pay is based on the number of inspections they complete.

“It’s crazy, mixed up,” said one inspector, a contractor from San Diego. “I have a family back home to get to and can’t be hanging around here for too long.”