Disasters California

The Clinton administration will request an additional $177.3 million in disaster aid for California, White House officials said Tuesday night. The proposed infusion of assistance, which is subject to approval by Congress, would be added to at least $40 million in aid previously announced by the administration to help California recover from a series of punishing storms.

President Clinton issued a major disaster declaration in six California counties hit hardest by a crippling and costly citrus freeze. The declaration clears the way for special unemployment benefits for farmers and farm workers. The new designation also leaves the door open for rental and mortgage assistance, job programs and other aid that many farm workers are desperately hoping for as they struggle to meet their basic expenses.

As potential disasters go, the toxic spill in the Cajon Pass last month was a monster. The overturned freight train laden with explosive chemicals erupted in flames five stories high beside one of the most heavily traveled corridors in the state. The 40-car derailment beside Interstate 15 killed two brakemen, but a major disaster was averted, officials say, largely because of damage control by a statewide emergency response task force that is going to be out of money in July.

The Clinton administration on Friday declared 18 counties in California disaster areas, allowing farmers to receive federal aid after their crops suffered $657 million in damage in a cold snap last month. The disaster designation allows farmers to apply for low-interest government loans.

The House narrowly approved a disaster relief bill Tuesday containing about $200 million for storm-torn California, but Republican lawmakers muddied the waters for the measure by inserting budget cuts likely to provoke a presidential veto. The catchall $2.9-billion spending measure, approved 212-208, is designed to help several states recover from natural disasters. In California's case, the money would help pay for damage caused by El Nino rains.

President Clinton issued a major disaster declaration in six California counties hit hardest by a crippling and costly citrus freeze. The declaration clears the way for special unemployment benefits for farmers and farm workers. The new designation also leaves the door open for rental and mortgage assistance, job programs and other aid that many farm workers are desperately hoping for as they struggle to meet their basic expenses.

Mayor Richard Riordan, the county Board of Supervisors and Gov. Pete Wilson took steps Wednesday to provide state and federal financial aid for homeowners and public agencies hard hit by the ongoing series of punishing rainstorms. The governmental requests for assistance came as Southern California braced for at least two more powerful Pacific storms--the first due this afternoon and the second over the weekend.

Hung over? Mired in the post-holiday blues? Savor this with your first cup of 1997 coffee: California--legendary land of oh-my-God calamities--was a pretty agreeable place to live last year--at least in terms of natural disasters. True, there were raging fires that torched scores of homes and thousands of acres from San Diego to Ventura in October. But 1996 brought no killer quakes and no deadly floods. There were no riots in the streets, no swarms of medflies clouding the air.

With more than $1 billion in California disaster aid hanging in the balance, President Clinton and Congress are on a collision course over a Republican effort to avoid a repeat of the 1995-96 government shutdown that became a political disaster for the GOP. At stake is the fate of a midyear emergency appropriations bill that provides about $8 billion for a hodgepodge of high-priority items, including funding for U.S.

President Clinton asked Congress on Monday to spend another $4.9 billion in emergency funds to repair the destruction that remains from the Northridge earthquake, warning that the federal government will have to shut off further relief if the money is not approved by May.

In his first official journey outside the capital, Gov. Gray Davis came to the farming heart of the San Joaquin Valley on Tuesday for a firsthand look at what last month's freeze did to California citrus. Trudging through a foggy field in Fresno County, Davis examined the juiceless core of a damaged lemon and pronounced it useless. He told a group of growers, politicians and idled farm laborers that he is working on several fronts to obtain prompt federal and state relief.

December's freeze packed a $634-million punch for California's farm industry, agricultural officials said Friday in revising upward their earlier damage estimates. Separately, Gov. Gray Davis declared a state of emergency in Monterey and Kings counties because of the cold weather. Last week, outgoing Gov. Pete Wilson issued a similar proclamation for Fresno, Kern, Madera and Tulare counties.

Moving to provide financial relief to the state's ravaged citrus industry, Gov. Pete Wilson declared a state of emergency Tuesday in four Central California counties hit hardest by last week's freezing temperatures that destroyed a major portion of the lemon and orange crops. Wilson's declaration--affecting Fresno, Kern, Madera and Tulare counties--was welcome news for citrus farmers who recorded more than $500 million in losses from four straight days of bitter cold.

Storm-damaged California will get federal help fixing roads, farms, parks and levees, as both houses of Congress approved $2.59 billion in federal disaster aid Thursday as part of an emergency spending bill that will also fund military operations in Bosnia and the Persian Gulf. The bill earmarks about $250 million for the Golden State to use in cleaning up El Nino's mess. Overall, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is to get $1.

The House narrowly approved a disaster relief bill Tuesday containing about $200 million for storm-torn California, but Republican lawmakers muddied the waters for the measure by inserting budget cuts likely to provoke a presidential veto. The catchall $2.9-billion spending measure, approved 212-208, is designed to help several states recover from natural disasters. In California's case, the money would help pay for damage caused by El Nino rains.

The Senate approved an emergency funding package Thursday that includes an estimated $200 million in disaster aid for California to help it recover from El Nino related damages. The money would go to repair freeways, military bases, parks and agricultural areas that have been washed out by recent rains.

After the Great Fire of London devoured the city in 1666, the government issued a simple decree: Stop building with so much wood. It was a direct, effective response to disaster. * But at a UCLA conference Friday on disaster recovery, state and federal officials as well as academics and environmentalists agreed that in Southern California today, the problems of rebuilding after fires, floods and earthquakes are more complex.

Acknowledging the damage wrought by El Nino in California, the Senate has agreed on a disaster assistance fund containing $190 million for the state's storm-torn roads, levees, farms and military facilities. The disaster aid, expected to win final Senate approval sometime today, is included in a catch-all emergency spending measure that also underwrites the deployment of military personnel in Bosnia and the Persian Gulf. The bill will be taken up by the House next week.

The Clinton administration will request an additional $177.3 million in disaster aid for California, White House officials said Tuesday night. The proposed infusion of assistance, which is subject to approval by Congress, would be added to at least $40 million in aid previously announced by the administration to help California recover from a series of punishing storms.