Los Angeles Times Special Quake Report: One Year Later : Help

GENERAL INFORMATION

* FEMA Disaster Hot Line

(800) 525-0321

(800) 660-8005 TTD

* FEMA Registration Line

(800) 462-9029

(800) 462-7585 TDD

The deadline to apply for Northridge earthquake diaster assistance is Friday. No additional extensions are anticipated. Registrants can choose to apply for financial assistance over the phone or by visiting any of the following FEMA Earthquake Service centers:

Chatsworth

20525 Nordhoff St.

Crenshaw

3420 W. Jefferson Blvd.

Fillmore

552 Sespe Ave.

Hollywood

6385 Hollywood Blvd.

Sherman Oaks

14144 Ventura Blvd.

Simi Valley

59 Tierra Rejada Road

Sylmar

13750 Foothill Blvd.

Valencia

28460 Avenue Stanford

Van Nuys

6939 Van Nuys Blvd.

West Los Angeles/Santa Monica

1901 S. Bundy Drive

City of Los Angeles Housing Department

(800) 994-4444 for information on zero-interest loans to residential property owners who have been rejected by the Small Business Administration and traditional lending institutions. There is no application deadline. The program will exist to the extent that funds are available.

Community Assisting Recovery (CARe)

(818) 363-3062 for assistance in obtaining equitable settlement of insurance claims and help in working with building contractors.

Contractors State License Board

(800) 321-2752 to verify the status of a contractor’s license.

Earthquake Debris Collection

(800) 498-2489 to request pick up of earthquake debris within the city of Los Angeles.

(805) 257-4441 to request pick up of earthquake debris within the county of Los Angeles.

Section 8 Housing Authority

Emergency housing certificates expire 18 months after issuance. For information, participants should contact their local Section 8 Housing Authority office.

State Department of Insurance Consumer Help Line

(800) 927-HELP or 897-8921 (in 818, 213 or 310 area codes) for information on laws governing insurance companies and a mediation program for consumers who have not been able to come to an agreement with their insurance companies.

Small Business Administration (SBA)

(800) 488-5323, for information on low-interest loans for homes, business and personal property. Applicants can visit local FEMA Earthquake Service centers or call the above number. The deadline to apply is Friday.

State Law

State law sets firm limits on the time in which a lawsuit must be brought. Those limits vary, however, depending on what’s at issue. The law also allows for a variety of exceptions, but the basic rules are these:

You have four years to file suit over a broken contract if that contract was in writing. It’s two years for an oral contract.

And it’s one year only for a suit alleging injury or wrongful death--that is, one year from the date the injury or death occurred.

COUNSELING

Among the groups providing counseling of referrals to counseling for earthquake victims:

* Project Rebound/L.A. County Department of Mental Health

(800) 854-7771 for free earthquake support groups, counseling and referrals throughout the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles.

* Catholic Charities Psychological Services

(818) 988-2850 or (213) 251-3569 for free earthquake counseling in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, Pico Rivera and Ventura.

* Friends of the Family

(818) 988-4430 for free or low-cost support groups and counseling in Van Nuys.

* Project Cope, Ventura County Mental Health Services

(805) 582-7614 for free counseling and referrals in Simi Valley.

(805) 524-7064 for free conseling and referrals in Fillmore.