Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : City to Hire Firm to Right Mobile Homes : Aftermath: As many as 800 remain without utilities, which can’t be hooked up until they are back on their foundations.
SANTA CLARITA — The city will hire a private engineering firm to right hundreds of mobile homes shaken from their foundations during the Northridge earthquake.
A month after the temblor, as many as 1,500 residents remain displaced from their homes, which cannot be reconnected to gas or water supplies until they are placed back on their supports.
The city has intervened because officials believe that it is taking too long for private contractors to get the job done, city spokeswoman Gail Foy said.
“It’s outrageous that people have been this long without utilities,†Foy said. “We don’t want them waiting any longer.â€
Nearly 10% of the 51,062 mobile homes in Los Angeles County were declared uninhabitable as a result of quake damage, sparking renewed interest over whether costly safety measures should be required by the state.
In Santa Clarita, an estimated 1,800 mobile homes were rocked off their foundations, said Kevin Michel, a senior planner in the city’s community development department. He said between 500 and 800 remain down.
ICF Kaiser, an Oakland-based engineering firm, will oversee the project. Kaiser will subcontract with various firms to right trailers in some of the parks.
There is no charge to residents for the work, which includes raising and leveling the homes, as well as providing increased wind and seismic bracing. Homeowners who have already paid contractors to right their homes may be eligible for reimbursement of their insurance deductible or out-of-pocket expenses.
Michel said officials have encountered difficulty locating residents of some of the damaged dwellings to obtain permission to have them fixed.
“It’s important that they cooperate and get in touch with us, otherwise we can’t do the work,†he said.
City officials estimate that restoring the trailers to their foundations and making the other improvements will cost between $4 million and $6 million. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is expected to pick up the tab.
Work is slated to begin next week at Cordova Mobile Homes Estates on Sierra Highway in Canyon Country, where as many as one-third of the park’s 295 homes remain down.
Michel said he hoped that all the homes would be back on their foundations within 45 days.
“We are anxious to get this program off the ground,†he said.
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