Help for Quake Victims

* In the June 5 article (“50,000 Quake Victims Await Action on Aid Applications”), The Times described the distressing situation of property and business owners who are still awaiting aid decisions or have been denied assistance. One of the reasons given by SBA assistant administrator Bernard Kulik for the many denials was that “people are just plain debt heavy.” For owners of residential property located in the City of Los Angeles, the city’s housing department has good news.

In cases where the Small Business Administration (SBA) or the Individual Family Grant Program (IFGP) have denied a loan application, or can only partially fund the repairs that are necessary, Los Angeles Housing Department has programs that can help. For apartment buildings and single-family homes, LAHD is providing very low-interest rehabilitation loans, we are willing to subordinate to all other debt and there is no equity requirement. Approximately $89 million in federal funds have been allocated to LAHD for these programs.

To speed the process along, the LAHD, SBA and IFGP have worked out an application referral process so that full or partial rejections are referred to the city for assistance.

For more information, property owners are encouraged to call LAHD at (800) 994-4444 during business hours.

GARY W. SQUIER

General Manager

Los Angeles Housing Department

* Your article “Methods to Fix High-Rise Steel Fail Stress Test,” (June 6) is misleading about concrete buildings.

Non-ductile concrete structures have not been built in Southern California for more than 20 years. The codes were changed following the 1971 San Fernando earthquake, and post-1973 structures can be considered ductile. In general, post-1973 concrete structures performed quite well during the Northridge earthquake.

By contrast, steel buildings constructed within the last five years, for example, the Automobile Club of Southern California building in Santa Clarita, suffered extensive damage.

As the article does not make the distinction between ductile and non-ductile buildings--and it’s a major one--the implication is that all concrete buildings are non-ductile. This is simply not true. Further, many older concrete buildings have been retrofitted to meet the revised codes, and these, too, performed quite well.

ELIZABETH VETTER

Director, Products Education

So. Calif. Rock Products Assn.

So. Calif. Ready Mixed Concrete Assn.