Simi Valley Seeks U. S. Funds to Update Its Emergency Equipment : Recovery: The city reports that more than $350,000 in improvements are needed to help it react quickly and efficiently during disasters.

By SARA CATANIA

June 16, 1994 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Five months after the Northridge earthquake ripped through Simi Valley, causing more than $423 million in damage, the city is seeking federal funds to beef up its emergency response equipment for the next disaster.

A study of the city’s response to the Jan. 17 quake, conducted by Police Chief Willard R. Schlieter, found that the city needs more than $350,000 in emergency equipment upgrades to react quickly and efficiently during disasters.

“Overall, the response to the earthquake was extremely efficient and well-managed,” Schlieter wrote. “However, the Emergency Operations Center had never been activated for multiple days, and the staff had never faced the long-term emergent conditions that this event produced.”

The recommended improvements include seismic retrofitting of the emergency center, installation of computer equipment at the center, and purchase of two-way radios for the city’s Building and Safety Department, which relied on cellular phones donated by a local business after the earthquake.

The city is applying for funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to cover 75% of the cost.

If the federal funding is approved, the city would pay the remaining 25%.

“Now we’re in June and we kind of forget what a very hectic time it was in January,” Mayor Greg Stratton said.

“With that experience under our belts and with the help of some new equipment, I know we’ll be better prepared for next time.”

Upgrades to the emergency system will also help the city deal with the crises that crop up during disasters, Stratton said.

Immediately following the earthquake, the two main water pipelines into the city burst, two dozen leaks appeared in the gas company’s lines and the city’s telephone system was jammed.

Councilman Bill Davis said he was eager to make improvements that would help the city handle such problems.

“I hope we don’t have another earthquake,” Davis said. “But we need to be prepared in case we do.”

Schlieter’s report also included an updated assessment of the damage caused in Simi Valley by the quake:

* Nearly 500 houses and 600 mobile homes were seriously shaken during the earthquake, causing more than $150 million in damage and displacing as many as 4,000 residents.

* The quake caused an additional $268 million in damage to 176 commercial and industrial buildings, 12 schools, eight churches, City Hall, the Police Department and the East County Courthouse.

* About 87 miles of residential streets and 15 miles of main roadways were ruptured in the quake, causing $5 million to $6 million in damage.

“With this kind of damage, it’s clear we have to do everything we can to brace ourselves for the next one,” Davis said. “It only makes sense.”