Disaster Victims Finances

Jeff and Gail Turner's financial problems are growing faster than the cracks in the walls of their Anaheim Hills home. "I don't know how long I will be able to make two house payments, one on our real house and another on the place we're staying now," said Jeff Turner, 37, a Downey fireman. "We just don't have that kind of money." For the Turners and many other evacuees, the 25-acre landslide that is continuing in this upscale community is raising some tough financial questions.

A 26-unit apartment building in a former "ghost town" area of Sherman Oaks emerges from the ruins today, and, with it, the dreams of comfortable retirement years for its elderly owner. Last year, the Northridge earthquake totaled the building, whose rent revenues were Bea Marble's main source of income. The septuagenarian faced foreclosure on the structure, was forced to get a job as a real estate agent after 10 years in retirement and had to move out of her West Los Angeles house.

For one group of Valley residents, the financial and emotional aftershocks of the Northridge earthquake continue a year after the temblor threw their lives into disarray. Their experiences, as chronicled in The Times over the past year, range from newfound hope to utter frustration. * An attorney whose house in Sherman Oaks slid partway down a hillside hasn't been able to find a contractor he can trust. At times, he said, the stress has been unmanageable.

For one group of Valley residents, the financial and emotional aftershocks of the Northridge earthquake continue a year after the temblor threw their lives into disarray. Their experiences, as chronicled in The Times over the past year, range from newfound hope to utter frustration. * An attorney whose house in Sherman Oaks slid partway down a hillside hasn't been able to find a contractor he can trust. At times, he said, the stress has been unmanageable.

For Paula Walker, Jan. 17, 1994, was a shake-up that proved to be the wake-up call of a lifetime. But it wasn't the fact that the devastating earthquake that day forced the 58-year-old Walker, a West Adams resident, out of her La Brea Avenue home of 27 years and into a cramped Leimert Park apartment, where she is awaiting a city loan to be approved. It isn't even the endless paper trail that attended her many applications for disaster assistance to federal, state and local agencies.

The Southern California Gas Co. is planning to give earthquake victims a little CPR--that's Community Partnership for earthquake Repair. About $5 million will be made available to Southland residents who suffered earthquake damage and need to make minor home repairs. The money is being made available through the gas company, in conjunction with several public agencies, including the California Department of Economic Opportunities and the California Conservation Corps.

For an apartment building, it was very young--only six years old--when the Northridge quake rattled its foundation, shattering windows, cracking walls and chasing its tenants into the street. Like hundreds of other quake-damaged buildings citywide, the 18-unit complex on Saticoy Street in Canoga Park might have been demolished or simply left to gather cobwebs until its owner could scrape together enough money for repairs.

A 26-unit apartment building in a former "ghost town" area of Sherman Oaks emerges from the ruins today, and, with it, the dreams of comfortable retirement years for its elderly owner. Last year, the Northridge earthquake totaled the building, whose rent revenues were Bea Marble's main source of income. The septuagenarian faced foreclosure on the structure, was forced to get a job as a real estate agent after 10 years in retirement and had to move out of her West Los Angeles house.

Six months ago, Los Angeles Police Department reserve officer Don Stein helped rescue Steve Langdon from beneath the collapsed roof of the quake-wracked Northridge Meadows Apartments. Now Stein is the only thing keeping a roof over Langdon's head. With about $20,000 in debts from the Northridge earthquake, Langdon is again counting on his savior's help to survive--staying rent-free in Stein's Van Nuys home while trying to recover financially from the disaster.

With Friday the deadline for filing income taxes, the disaster-weary can at least look forward to some tax relief: Uninsured casualty losses from the Jan. 17 Northridge earthquake--as well as from last fall's fires and mudslides--are deductible on individuals' federal and state returns. Moreover, because the Northridge quake was declared a federal disaster, victims of the temblor can choose to take those losses on either their 1993 or 1994 returns.

For Paula Walker, Jan. 17, 1994, was a shake-up that proved to be the wake-up call of a lifetime. But it wasn't the fact that the devastating earthquake that day forced the 58-year-old Walker, a West Adams resident, out of her La Brea Avenue home of 27 years and into a cramped Leimert Park apartment, where she is awaiting a city loan to be approved. It isn't even the endless paper trail that attended her many applications for disaster assistance to federal, state and local agencies.

In what has become a post-disaster ritual for California businesses, numerous lenders and retailers have offered assistance to the victims of this month's storms, with low-interest loans and deferrals on home mortgage and credit card payments. "Knowing that these things are lurking, we have (disaster assistance programs) pretty much ready to go," said Wells Fargo spokeswoman Kathleen Shilkret. "Unfortunately, we have had too much call for this."

For an apartment building, it was very young--only six years old--when the Northridge quake rattled its foundation, shattering windows, cracking walls and chasing its tenants into the street. Like hundreds of other quake-damaged buildings citywide, the 18-unit complex on Saticoy Street in Canoga Park might have been demolished or simply left to gather cobwebs until its owner could scrape together enough money for repairs.

Six months ago, Los Angeles Police Department reserve officer Don Stein helped rescue Steve Langdon from beneath the collapsed roof of the quake-wracked Northridge Meadows Apartments. Now Stein is the only thing keeping a roof over Langdon's head. With about $20,000 in debts from the Northridge earthquake, Langdon is again counting on his savior's help to survive--staying rent-free in Stein's Van Nuys home while trying to recover financially from the disaster.

The Southern California Gas Co. is planning to give earthquake victims a little CPR--that's Community Partnership for earthquake Repair. About $5 million will be made available to Southland residents who suffered earthquake damage and need to make minor home repairs. The money is being made available through the gas company, in conjunction with several public agencies, including the California Department of Economic Opportunities and the California Conservation Corps.

With Friday the deadline for filing income taxes, the disaster-weary can at least look forward to some tax relief: Uninsured casualty losses from the Jan. 17 Northridge earthquake--as well as from last fall's fires and mudslides--are deductible on individuals' federal and state returns. Moreover, because the Northridge quake was declared a federal disaster, victims of the temblor can choose to take those losses on either their 1993 or 1994 returns.

In a move that could be the precursor to other owners deserting their earthquake-damaged properties, a group of Sherman Oaks residents has voted to walk away from a red-tagged condominium complex. Residents of the 30-unit complex in the 4600 block of Willis Avenue are believed to be the first to abandon their property because of the prohibitive cost of rebuilding. The complex was one of dozens of structures on the same street rendered unlivable by the Jan. 17 quake.

In what has become a post-disaster ritual for California businesses, numerous lenders and retailers have offered assistance to the victims of this month's storms, with low-interest loans and deferrals on home mortgage and credit card payments. "Knowing that these things are lurking, we have (disaster assistance programs) pretty much ready to go," said Wells Fargo spokeswoman Kathleen Shilkret. "Unfortunately, we have had too much call for this."

In a move that could be the precursor to other owners deserting their earthquake-damaged properties, a group of Sherman Oaks residents has voted to walk away from a red-tagged condominium complex. Residents of the 30-unit complex in the 4600 block of Willis Avenue are believed to be the first to abandon their property because of the prohibitive cost of rebuilding. The complex was one of dozens of structures on the same street rendered unlivable by the Jan. 17 quake.

Jeff and Gail Turner's financial problems are growing faster than the cracks in the walls of their Anaheim Hills home. "I don't know how long I will be able to make two house payments, one on our real house and another on the place we're staying now," said Jeff Turner, 37, a Downey fireman. "We just don't have that kind of money." For the Turners and many other evacuees, the 25-acre landslide that is continuing in this upscale community is raising some tough financial questions.