Tallying the Aid : ANALYSIS SHOWS UNEVEN DISTRIBUTION OF FEDERAL ASSISTANCE ACROSS THE VALLEY

As the months went by, the figures mounted. Hidden damage kept turning up in houses, apartments and office buildings. Aid applications kept flowing into federal disaster relief centers. Deadlines were extended again and again for Small Business Administration loans and Federal Emergency Management Agency grants.

By the end of the year, $2.8 billion in federal aid was approved for the San Fernando Valley, about 60% of the city total.

But one fact remained constant: last years Northridge earthquake was a capricious force that caused less damaged in areas near the epicenter than in some areas farther away.

The pattern became evident last spring in a Times computer ZIP code analysis of damage estimates made by Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety inspectors. Outside of Cal State Northridge, the Valley ZIP code with the highest estimated damage was Sherman Oaks, according to a Times computer analysis of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety reports.

Just as dramatic is the distribution of federal assistance, color coded in the map.

The most aid, $235,191,118, went to Granada Hills, well north of the epicenter. Second was Chatsworth to the northwest. Millions of dollars less is going to the each of the two ZIP codes nearest the epicenter.

Shown is a breakdown by ZIP code of three measures of damage in the quake. The top two lines reflect the outlays in assistance to quake victims. The third line shows the year-end totals of damage estimates by Los Angeles city building inspectors, often lower than the total of loans and grants.

FEMA and SBA aid and damage estimates by ZIP code:

91040 FEMA: $1,828,975 SBA: $4,147,000 Damage: $624,800

91042 FEMA: $1,412,265 SBA: $3,046,000 Damage: $351,684

91201 FEMA: $1,372,786 SBA: $4,369,000 Damage: N/A

91202 FEMA: $1,665,367 SBA: $5,048,000 Damage: N/A

91302 FEMA: $8,827,256 SBA: $36,221,000 Damage: $74,000

91303 FEMA: $9,735,201 SBA: $31,942,000 Damage: $18,815,669

91304 FEMA: $21,029,001 SBA: $57,921,000 Damage: $6,057,013

91306 FEMA: $23,068,143 SBA: $64,270,000 Damage: $8,246,461

91307 FEMA: $10,664,012 SBA: $38,005,000 Damage: $6,862,719

91311 FEMA: $35,474,368 SBA: $159,961,000 Damage: $44,887,817

91316 FEMA: $11,365,576 SBA: $48,392,000Damage: $5,872,517

91324 FEMA: $32,518,790 SBA: $107,236,000Damage: $64,170,029

91325 FEMA: $42,832,661 SBA: $111,820,000Damage: $40,091,673

91326 FEMA: $27,911,026 SBA: $117,014,000Damage: $44,005,836

91331 FEMA: $20,111,953 SBA: $35,899,000 Damage: $4,998,165

91335 FEMA: $52,532,848 SBA: $95,907,000 Damage: $17,392,327

91340 FEMA: $10,449,615 SBA: $35,470,000 Damage: $1,648,081

91342 FEMA: $58,779,277 SBA: $85,391,000 Damage: $15,061,298

91343 FEMA: $32,243,259 SBA: $96,055,000 Damage: $17,297,867

91344 FEMA: $52,380,118 SBA: $182,811,000 Damage: $44,935,080

91345 FEMA: $11,136,946 SBA: $26,550,000 Damage: $6,124,516

91352 FEMA: $5,001,967 SBA: $10,748,000 Damage: $983,201

91356 FEMA: $21,887,066 SBA: $87,326,000 Damage: $22,633,042

91364 FEMA: $21,363,791 SBA: $84,984,000 Damage: $11,672,119

91367 FEMA: $30,357,198 SBA: $111,952,000 Damage: $23,725,565

91401 FEMA: $10,174,650 SBA: $22,418,00 Damage: $3,756,384

91402 FEMA: $8,806,058 SBA: $18,526,000 Damage: $3,287,983

91403 FEMA: $19,633,735 SBA: $73,277,000 Damage: $30,462,715

91405 FEMA: $10,144,900 SBA: $21,753,000 Damage: $2,676,105

91406 FEMA: $19,151,921 SBA: $56,387,000 Damage: $11,668,872

91411 FEMA: $8,443,409 SBA: $17,321,000 Damage: $4,754,487

91423 FEMA: $25,765,048 SBA: $95,418,000 Damage: $52,716,933

91436 FEMA: $7,210,241 SBA: $35,138,000 Damage: $4,737,392

91504 FEMA: $1,082,946 SBA: $2,387,000 Damage: $3,000

91506 FEMA: $2,259,998 SBA: $4,359,000 Damage: $3,500

91601 FEMA: $6,412,375 SBA: $19,868,000 Damage: $3,709,553

91602 FEMA: $5,037,954 SBA: $14,819,000 Damage: $2,294,116

91604 FEMA: $14,804,108 SBA: $58,477,000 Damage: $19,005,522

91605 FEMA: $7,082,798 SBA: $18,946,000 Damage: $1,771,212

91606 FEMA: $4,607,275 SBA: $13,026,000 Damage: $4,895,952

91607 FEMA: $6,518,990 SBA: $18,997,000 Damage: $4,041,863

91330 (CSUN) FEMA: $137,733 SBA: $202,000 Damage: $350,000*

*CSUN Tally Information not available for all Valley ZIP codes

Sources: Federal Emergency Management Agency, Small Business Administration, Los Angeles Building and Safety Department

Researched by DOUG SMITH, RICHARD O’REILLY and SANDRA POINDEXTER / Los Angeles Times