THE NORTHRIDGE QUAKE: ONE YEAR LATER : HUD Urges Preventive Aid to Help L.A. Gird for ‘Big One’ : Disaster: Report calls for major federal role in strengthening or replacing schools, highways, hospitals and homes.

As President Clinton marked the one-year anniversary of the Northridge earthquake Tuesday with a visit to Southern California, his Administration was preparing to call for a major federal role to help Los Angeles prepare for “the Big One.”

Although vast federal resources are mobilized to help after a disaster such as last year’s quake, there is a strong need for preventive strategies “that can save lives,” said a Department of Housing and Urban Development report, which was obtained by The Times. “Certainly the federal government has an important role to play in creating a safe and more resilient Los Angeles.”

The Clinton Administration is developing a set of federal initiatives to assist in disaster preparedness and intends to introduce legislation in Congress, according to the report, which is to be officially released today. The proposals range from financial incentives for property owners to make improvements to changes in federal programs that would make it easier for states and local governments to use federal money for preventive efforts.

The plans were drafted after consultations with federal, state and local officials as well as officials from utilities and other private institutions involved in earthquake relief. The cost of such efforts to make the area safer from earthquakes is estimated at more than $5 billion.

“When, inevitably, ‘the Big One’ strikes, many lives will depend on the persistence and determination of efforts to prepare for it today,” says the report, titled “Preparing for ‘the Big One’; Saving Lives Through Earthquake Mitigation in Los Angeles, California.”

Los Angeles was lucky that the Northridge quake happened on a holiday in the pre-dawn hours, sparing the area much worse damage and loss of life, the report notes, adding that the Southland cannot count on such good fortune repeating itself.

The report outlines steps that should be taken now to make the area ready for an earthquake that would dwarf the 6.7 Northridge temblor.

Among the report’s observations and recommendations:

Schools--One in 10 Los Angeles public schools need structural improvements to strengthen them, at a cost of $786 million, to avoid deaths of “the most precious members” of the community.

Non-structural problems are identified as an even greater hazard. “If the Northridge earthquake had struck during school hours, thousands of children would have been injured or killed by falling debris, furniture and lighting,” the report says.

The cost of retrofitting ceilings and pendant lighting has been estimated by the Los Angeles Unified School District at $297 million. Although federal money is available to repair and replace ceilings and lighting in schools damaged by the Northridge quake, those that were undamaged are not eligible for funds to ensure that their lighting and ceilings are earthquake-resistant, the report says.

Highways--All damaged and undamaged highway bridges that do not meet seismic safety standards in Los Angeles and Ventura counties should be retrofitted at a cost of $500 million.

Hospitals--Upgrades costing $2.3 billion are needed at Los Angeles County’s public hospitals and health centers to ensure that there are hospital beds for those hurt in an earthquake and to prevent deaths and injuries of patients already in hospitals. The suggested improvements range from replacing and retrofitting structures and equipment to modernizing communications systems.

Residential--To prevent deaths in homes, several steps should be taken, ranging from strapping water heaters to walls to reinforcing masonry buildings to retrofitting homes built on hillsides. Also, improvements should be funded in older multifamily structures, where poorer residents are likely to live. Most of the mitigation funds now available are “best suited to the needs and circumstances of middle-class owners of single family houses,” the HUD report notes.

The report warns that although seismic safety may seem less pressing a need as time passes since the last major earthquake, federal and local officials should be “steadfast in their commitment” to prepare Los Angeles for the inevitable. It cautions officials not to use the competition for scarce funds and resources as an excuse for inadequate action.

“The lives of many of their citizens hang in the balance,” the report concludes.