Countywide : Earthquake Aid Period Extended for 2 Weeks

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday extended for another two weeks its proclamation of emergency in Orange County stemming from the earthquake on Oct. 1.

Hugh Wood, manager of the county Fire Department’s special services bureau, told supervisors that 200 county residents had applied for assistance as a result of the 6.1 temblor that caused about $8 million in damage across the county and prompted Board Chairman Roger R. Stanton to proclaim a state of emergency two weeks ago.

Federal assistance checks were mailed Friday to some people whose homes were damaged by the quake. Wood said the time between the quake and the mailing of checks was the quickest “for a disaster in the history of this country.”

Federal guidelines allow a grant of up to $5,000 per family to help make a home livable after a disaster. Other grants provide quake victims money for temporary rental housing for up to three months. Loans to rebuild homes and businesses also are available.

Wood said the extension of the proclamation of emergency will cover the time that the La Habra assistance center is likely to remain open--another 10 days to two months.