Valleywide : County to Ask FEMA for More Quake Aid

Acting on the behalf of nearly 1,000 earthquake victims--most in the San Fernando Valley--the Board of Supervisors Tuesday voted to send a letter to the director of FEMA to extend the federal housing assistance program, which is scheduled to expire April 17.

Through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the program pays rent for homeowners while they repair their homes or condominiums damaged in the January 1994 Northridge earthquake.

The program, originally scheduled to end in July 1995, has been extended twice previously, said Vallee Bunting, a FEMA spokeswoman.

About 960 people--most whose condominiums were destroyed--still depend on the program.

Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who introduced the motion, said that although the earthquake occurred more than two years ago, some residents still are in need of extra help.

“It is clear that more than two years of . . . assistance is not sufficient for all parties,” he said.

“There are a lot of people who have only now resolved their differences with insurance companies, or who didn’t have insurance at all.”

The letter will also be sent to members of the county’s congressional delegation and the state Office of Emergency Services.

In late March, Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson (D-Woodland Hills) also wrote James Lee Witt, FEMA director, requesting an extension of the housing assistance program.

FEMA officials would not comment Tuesday on the likelihood of the program being extended.